Scientists on Wednesday said that Ebola virus can exist in the semen of male survivors of the disease for at least nine months after their initial infection appears, much longer than previously thought.
According to the World Health Organization, in the preliminary results that raised questions about how and when the West African epidemic might be brought to an end, researchers said they did not know if the traces of virus that were discovered were live or potentially infectious.
A report done in the New England Journal of Medicine found two-thirds of men had Ebola in their semen up to six months after infection, and a quarter after nine.
WHO has advised that all male survivors should be tested three months after the onset of symptoms and then monthly until they know they have no risk of passing on the virus.
