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SCIENCEFriday 16 October 2015
Study: Ebola in male survivors can survive up to 9 months
MARIA CHENG In this undated colorized transmission electron micrograph file image made available by the WHO and others recom-
AP Medical Writer CDC shows an Ebola virus virion. Associated Press mend that male survivors
LONDON (AP) — Doctors of the lethal disease ab-
have found that Ebola transmission of Ebola from of them male. ing the virus, “we would stain from sex or use con-
can linger in some male men to women is “a strong The journal also published have seen a number of doms for at least three
survivors for up to nine possibility” even though the details of an Ebola case in cases by now,” given the months after their recov-
months but aren’t sure if disease is mainly spread by March in Liberia, where a thousands of male Ebola ery. After that, they should
that means they might still direct contact with other male survivor spread Ebola survivors in West Africa. be tested every month un-
be infectious, according to bodily fluids like blood. to a woman via unprotect- People with Ebola are be- til they have two consecu-
new research. To date, Ebola has killed ed sex five months after he lieved to be most infectious tive negative tests.
In a study of 93 men in Si- more than 11,000 people became infected. when they are the sickest. WHO says it’s unknown
erra Leone, scientists found in West Africa in the out- In an accompanying com- Sprecher said the results how long Ebola survives in
the Ebola virus in semen break that was first identi- mentary, Dr. Armand Spre- suggest that surveillance vaginal fluid, and says it’s
samples from about half fied last year and now ap- cher of Doctors Without needs to last longer than less probable that a wom-
of them. The risk seemed pears to be winding down. Borders said if sexual trans- now recommended once an who has survived Ebola
to decline over time. Ebola There’s also about 17,000 mission of Ebola was a sig- an outbreak is thought to could spread it to a man
was detected in all nine Ebola survivors, about half nificant means of spread- be over in an area. through sex.
men tested at two to three Broutet said it was unclear
months after their illness whether the men whose
began but in only 11 of the samples tested positive
43 survivors tested at seven for Ebola had any long-
to nine months. term side effects and if so,
Researchers aren’t sure whether the virus might be
why Ebola remains in se- responsible. Many survivors
men as opposed to other suffer from chronic prob-
bodily fluids and don’t lems including vision loss
know if the lingering virus and joint pain.
might sicken others. Dr. Francis Moses, a district
“We think there is a poten- medical officer in northern
tial risk of exposure but we Sierra Leone, said it was dif-
cannot determine that with ficult convincing male Ebo-
100 percent certainty right la survivors to use condoms
now,” said Dr. Nathalie or abstain from sex.
Broutet, an expert in sexu- “The abstinence thing isn’t
ally transmitted diseases at working,” he said, not-
the World Health Organiza- ing there are a number
tion and one of the study’s of pregnant women in his
authors. The paper was district whose partners are
published online Wednes- Ebola survivors.
day in the New England Moses said the fact that
Journal of Medicine. thousands of Ebola survi-
WHO said previous stud- vors are living in West Af-
ies showed the virus could rica means scientists need
survive in semen for about to figure out whether sex is
three months, though it a significant risk to the re-
noted one case where emergence of the disease.
it remained for about six “If we don’t find a way of
months. The U.N. health addressing this, we will nev-
agency has said the sexual er stop Ebola,” he said.q
