The doctor emphasized that semen being the mode of transmission, and not simply any sexual contact, made the virus even more unsafe, as activities outside of intercourse, like masturbation, could lead to the unknowing transmission of Ebola.
Advertisement
A new study from the New England Journal of Medicine has affirmed that, after testing survivors of Ebola in countries such as Sierra Leone, the deadly virus lingers in male patients’ semen for as long as nine months.
“If we don’t find a way of addressing this, we will never stop Ebola”, he said. Twenty-six of 40 participants tested between four and six months following the onset of illness screened positive, and 11 of 43 participants screened between seven and nine months after the onset of illness tested positive. Those who would test positive at three months should be tested twice every month, with one-week intervals between the two tests, until they test negative.
“Better understanding of viral persistence in semen is important for supporting survivors to recover and to move forward with their lives”, Haq said.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is conducting further tests to determine if the samples contained live, potentially infectious virus.
According to the World Health Organization, sexual transmission of the Ebola virus from females to males is less probable, but theoretically possible. The bloc also stressed the need for hands to be washed after any physical contact with semen.
“Survivors of Ebola can carry the virus in their sperm and transmit it sexually for up to nine months, a study has found”, The Guardian reports. Speculation has focused on the role of the severity of her initial illness.
What did the studies show?
When the virus samples obtained from the man were compared to others collected from the woman, the researchers found them to be very much alike, Science Daily informs.
They said more research needs to be done into the potential for the virus to remain in other bodily fluids, including in women. This includes not just Sierra Leone, but also Guinea and Liberia.
Gatherer says that male Ebola survivors must be targeted urgently with sexual health interventions.
“She is being treated for Ebola in the high-level isolation unit”, hospital officials said in a statement.
In the latest study, 26% of the male survivors had sperm that tested positive for EVD genetic material.
He wrote that the semen study’s findings should be considered preliminary until the next step of the investigation to look for infectious virus is complete. The health authorities say that the risk to the public is low and the current precautions are being taken to ensure the public remains safe.
The Ebola Virus is a scourge that killed thousands in Western Africa a year ago, and was slowly beaten back through an worldwide medical effort. Given the large numbers of people who have had Ebola, and the small number of cases in recent months, it may be that Ebola is not easily transmissible by this route.
Advertisement
In a few areas of Sierra Leone, half of the Ebola survivors have serious eye problems that only developed after they were discharged from the clinic.
