[1] The myth was first reported in 16th-century Europe and gained prominence in 19th-century Victorian England as a cure for syphilis and gonorrhea among other sexually transmitted diseases.
[3] The origin is unknown, but historian Hanne Blank writes that the idea may have evolved from Christian legends of virgin–martyrs, whose purity served as a form of protection in battling demons.
[6] In 2002, psychologist Mike Earl-Taylor wrote that the virgin cure myth may explain the staggering rise in child or infant rapes in South Africa, which is facing an HIV/AIDS epidemic.
[12][13] According to UNICEF,[14] culture-based gender roles that prize innocence and ignorance in girls and that accept sexual licentiousness in men promote this myth.
The stigma attached to AIDS also stops many people from seeking information or health services to shield their status, contributing to further transmission.