Emerging STIs: TMVII Risks and Prevention

Black people have been disproportionately affected by STIs for generations, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. One major contributor to this disparity is lack of awareness. That’s why we must do our due diligence to stay on top of all public health concerns, especially those that directly affect us, our loved ones, and our communities.

For example, have you heard about TMVII (Trichophyton mentagrophytes genotype VII)? This relatively new STI was first reported in Asia and Europe before 2020 and it was detected in the US for the first time in July 2025. The Minnesota Department of Health reports an increase in infections.

Should the Black community be worried about TMVII? My short answer is yes.

If we look back to 2019, during the early stages of COVID-19, there were theories mostly circulating on social media that Black people were immune to the novel coronavirus. However, later data from the Institute of the Black World 21ST Century and the African American Intellectual History Society indicate that Black communities suffered disproportionately from COVID-19. A similar pattern can be seen with STIs, which have historically impacted Black communities at higher rates for a variety of structural and social reasons.

Therefore, we must not allow history to continue to repeat itself. With the growing conversation around TMVII, we need to know what it is, the symptoms to watch for, how it can impact our communities, and, more importantly, how to protect ourselves and our loved ones.

What Is TMVII?

According to the Cleveland Clinic, TMVII is a sexually transmitted fungal infection. It can be transmitted through vaginal, oral, or anal sex, similar to other STIs. Because this is a new disease, data on it is still limited, which is why the conversation around protection is very important.

Reports from the Duke Global Health Institute further indicate that it can be transmitted through the sharing of clothing, bedding, sex toys, or towels.

Symptoms of TMVII

One of the biggest concerns of TMVII is that its symptoms don’t appear right away. A key indicator, however, is its ringworm-like appearance. Other symptoms may include:

Unusual genital discharge
Burning sensation during urination
Genital itching or irritation
Pain during sexual intercourse
Lower abdominal discomfort
In some cases, fever or general fatigue

The National Collaborating Center for Infectious Disease noted in its recent report that lesions can appear on the arms, hands, trunk, genitalia, buttocks, and legs. These affected areas are said to be itchy and sometimes develop blisters and changes in color. Another worrying concern is that, just like gonorrhea and chlamydia, a person with TMVII can remain completely asymptomatic, which could result in its rapid spread within our community.

How TMVII Affects Our Community

TMVII is new, but there is still a possibility of the STI affecting the Black community just like other STIs. Although currently, men who sleep with men are most affected, the Black community at large needs to take action whether they identity as a member of that community or not. Here is how it may affect us:

1. Silent Spread

TMVII can be spread from skin-to-skin contact, including sexual contact. Skin-to-Skin means close physical contact and using others’ towels or clothing. That means one needs to make sure their gym workouts are cleaner, avoid sharing towels, benches, equipment, etc., and remain very vigilant.

As I have mentioned before, the symptoms of TMVII can be asymptomatic; because of this, many people can carry the infection and transmit it without having a clue what they are doing. Our community is a sexually active one, with our Black adolescent sisters becoming sexually active at just the age of 14.4 years when compared to white females at 16.3 years, according to the Program for Research on Black Americans. Also, research by the Guttmacher Institute reveals that Blacks are more likely to have multiple sexual partners than other races.

Putting these two reports together, it’s easy to see how the infection can spread rapidly within our community.

2. Stigma and Misinformation

Infections like this always come with stigma because of the sexual connotation behind them, despite many of the infections may be due to close contact and not necessarily sexual in nature. Our religion and culture play a big role in this. Just as with many new infections we have witnessed in our history, the most recent being COVID-19, STIs often come with fears and rumors. With all these in play, getting people tested will be a lot of work.

3. Strain on Healthcare Awareness

Already, we are struggling to raise awareness of many other diseases and infections within our community; an additional infection will strain our healthcare system. Additionally, healthcare workers will still need time to understand and diagnose TMVII before any treatment may begin.

4. Impact on Relationships

We have seen how other STIs have created anxiety in many relationships before. With the uncertainty around TMVII, we expect this anxiety to be even more pronounced in relationships where trust and communication about sexual health are lacking.

How to Stay Protected

While we may not know much about TMVII, the good news is that, as an STI, TMVII follows the same protective strategy as other STIs:

Practice safe sex
Get regular testing
Communicate openly
Practice good hygiene
Avoid sharing clothes, towels, sharp objects, and other personal effects
Avoid assumptions
Check for rashes in your pubic region, arms, hands, trunk, and legs
Seek medical advice early
Communicate your results with your partner

Once there’s a clinical suspicion of TMVII, your healthcare provider will take the skin sample or hair from an active part of the rash to the laboratory for specialized molecular sequencing. You’ll be given oral terbinafine as you await your test result, which could take two or more weeks.

While TMVII is still being studied and understood, we should not fold our hands and just wait. We already know the basics on how to protect ourselves, and we need to spring into action immediately before it becomes a pandemic. An important truth is that sexual health awareness is always evolving. Still, at Elevate Black Health, we recommend that one thing that should remain constant is staying informed, practicing safe sex, and, more importantly, dealing with the stigmas that have hampered testing and treatment. Remember that although TMVII is classified as an STI, not everyone is getting it sexually.