When Charlie Sheen disclosed on the Today show that he was HIV positive, media coverage about the virus spiked. In fact, his November 17, 2015, announcement is connected to the most Google searches on HIV in U.S. history, according to researchers from San Diego State University’s School of Public Health.

What’s more, many of the Google searches “were directly relevant to public health outcomes because they included search terms for condoms, HIV symptoms, or HIV testing,” according to the resulting study published in JAMA Internal Medicine and reported by CNN.

The so-called “celebrity effect”—a famous person’s ability to bring attention to a disease or health issue—is indeed a thing, as CNN illustrates with several examples, including Lance Armstrong (testicular cancer), Katie Couric (colon cancer) and Michael J. Fox (Parkinson’s disease).

Unfortunately, increased awareness doesn’t always translate to the public having an improved understanding of the health care issue. When Angelina Jolie publicly discussed removing both of her breasts because she was at risk for breast cancer, many more women became more familiar with the disease but failed to accurately interpret their own risks.

In Sheen’s case, his disclosure was followed by reports that he went off his meds and was seeking a miracle cure from a quack in Mexico. Such reports outraged HIV activists like POZ 100 honoree Maria Meija, and POZ bloggers Peter Staley and Mark. S. King.

Sheen’s manager later reported in People magazine that the star’s viral load had spiked and Sheen was back on his HIV medication.