The Ebola virus can remain in the semen of survivors for up to nine months, but health officials stress the chances of contracting the disease through sex is low.
Preliminary results of a new study released Wednesday clearly proves that the virus persists in the semen of disease survivors longer than previously thought, according to the World Health Organization. Officials said Wednesday that West Africa has not reported a new Ebola case in two weeks.
Previous reports detected Ebola in semen up to three and a half months after symptoms were revealed. The virus can be spread quickly through contact of a person showing symptoms such as fever or vomiting.
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Officials said in March that a woman in Liberia likely got Ebola through sexual transmission with a male survivor.
The latest findings show that three and a half months is more the floor than the ceiling of how long Ebola lasts.
The study looked at samples from nearly 100 men from Sierra Leone, one of three West African countries hit hard by the outbreak. The other countries were Guinea and Liberia, which has been declared Ebola-free.
It found that all of them still had the virus in their genetic material three months after symptoms were revealed.
More than half of the men who were tested between four-six months also were positive, and 26 percent were still positive seven-nine months after presenting Ebola symptoms, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Even though the virus can remain in men’s semen, the probability of contracting it through sex is low, said Margaret Harris, spokeswoman for the World Health Organization.
“Although sexual transmission by survivors with persistent virus is a possibility, it appears to be rare,” she told the Washington Examiner on Wednesday.
No new Ebola cases have been reported for the past two weeks, the international health group said Wednesday. This includes not just Sierra Leone, but also Guinea and Liberia.
However, Guinea still has 150 contacts who health officials need to follow up with to ensure they don’t have the disease, 118 of whom are high risk, the agency said.
To become Ebola-free, a country must not have any confirmed cases for 42 days. That is double the incubation time of the virus.
A confirmed case includes a person who has tested negative twice for the virus in blood samples, or has died and been safely buried.
Even if a country is declared Ebola-free it is not out of the woods completely. Liberia, for example, was declared Ebola-free earlier this year, only to have to deal with a smattering of new cases soon after.
“After the 42-day period has elapsed, each country should maintain a system of heightened surveillance for a further 90 days, and ensure ongoing [Ebola] surveillance and notification thereafter,” Harris said.
The study’s findings won’t affect the criteria for declaring an end of Ebola transmission, she added.
