Physical Wellness

Ebola Survivors Should Wear Condoms for Three Months

By Christine Hsu | Update Date: Dec 16, 2014 05:59 PM EST

Men who have been infected with Ebola should wear condoms for a minimum of three months, according to new research.

While research on male survivors of Ebola has been lacking, experts believe that people should follow current recommendation of waiting at least three months after recovering to have unprotected sex.

"Our exercise demonstrated that the current recommendations to prevent the sexual spread of Ebola are based on one mere observation," the researchers wrote in the study, according to a journal release. "Despite the evident need to conduct more research, for now, health care professionals should strongly recommend sexual abstinence or condom-protected encounters for at least three months."

The latest study, which involved data from men recovering from the Ebola virus between 1977 and 2007, revealed that the virus persisted in their semen for an average of 66.6 days. However, one case showed that the virus remained in semen for 91 days.

"The current Ebola Virus Disease outbreak is the longest and largest we have ever seen. Nonetheless, our results clearly demonstrate how much we ignore about it. Larger studies are needed to establish the social, clinical and biological determinants of this neglected disease," researchers concluded.

The latest findings are published in the journal Reproductive Sciences.

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