A study has found that the deadly Ebola virus can linger in male semen, and persist there for at least nine months.
According to a report from the New England Journal of Medicine, semen from male ebola survivors has been tested nine months after the onset of symptoms and has been found to be positive with the virus.
In a press release, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that the study tracked 93 male survivors over the age of 18. The men enrolled in the study between two to 10 months after symptoms began appearing.
Men who were tested three months after onset were all positive (9/9, 100 percent). More than half of the men tested between four to six months after illness were positive (26/40; 65 percent); and a quarter (11/43; 26 percent) of those tested between seven to nine months after their illness began were also positive. The men were then given counseling and condoms along with their test results.
The study was jointly conducted by the Sierra Leone Ministry of Health and Sanitation, the World Health Organization, and the CDC.
WHO director-general Margaret Chan told the BBC that there was doubt on the positive result meant.
"Does it mean they are still infectious or are they just fragments? We don't have the definitive evidence yet,” Chan said. "The degree of uncertainty is worrying, that's why we need to take precautionary measures, so we advise survivors to take protection through contraception."
Bruce Aylward, WHO Director-General’s Special Representative on the Ebola Response, explained how important the results are.
“These results come at a critically important time, reminding us that while Ebola case numbers continue to plummet, Ebola survivors and their families continue to struggle with the effects of the disease,” Aylward explained. “This study provides further evidence that survivors need continued, substantial support for the next 6 to 12 months to meet these challenges and to ensure their partners are not exposed to potential virus.”
Currently, the CDC reports that until more data is known, thousands of male survivors need to be educated regarding the illness, its persistence in the male semen, and the possible ways that they have to prevent exposing their partners to the virus.
The WHO adds in an Interim that all male survivors should be offered semen testing. Until they are tested negative twice, they should receive counseling advise regarding sexual behavior, as well as good personal hygiene.
Additionally, the WHO requests that all survivors and their families be treated with respect, dignity, and compassion.
