But scientists say recs urging abstinence, condoms for six months after infection should still be followed
WEDNESDAY, Feb. 15, 2017 (HealthDay News) — The Zika virus lingers in a man’s semen no longer than three months in almost all cases, according to research published online Feb. 14 in the New England Journal of Medicine to coincide with the annual Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections, held from Feb. 13 to 16 in Seattle.
CDC researchers led by Gabriela Paz-Bailey, M.D., tracked the levels of the Zika virus in 95 women and 55 men in Puerto Rico. All participants had recently been infected.
The scientists found little virus in saliva and vaginal secretions, but it lingered in blood serum and urine, sometimes for weeks. By 81 days, the virus had disappeared from semen in 95 percent of men (95 percent confidence interval, 64 to 98).
Guidelines from the CDC recommend that infected men use condoms or abstain from sex for six months after infection with the Zika virus. Men who visited areas with Zika but haven’t shown symptoms “should consider using condoms or not having sex for at least eight weeks after their return in order to minimize risk,” according to the CDC.
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