As the world continues to battle the coronavirus pandemic, scientist have discovered traces of the virus in the semen of infected individuals, raising fears that it could be sexually transmitted.
Men who have recovered from coronavirus should abstain from sex in order to avoid passing the virus on via their semen, a new study suggests.
The findings have left scientists worried that the deadly disease could be sexually transmitted, raising the prospect of health chiefs advising people to avoid having sex for a set time after recovering from the virus.
The study, published in JAMA Network Open, involved 38 patients undergoing treatment for severe COVID-19 disease at Shangqiu Municipal Hospital in Henan province.
Fifteen of the patients provided a semen sample during the acute phase of their illness and 23 shortly after recovering. In four of the 15 patients with acute disease and in two of the 23 recovering patients, SARS-CoV-2 RNA was found in the semen samples.
Ebola virus remained detectable in the semen of some survivors for more than three years and Ebola virus transmission through sexual intercourse can occur months after the patient has recovered, and scientist fear the case might be a bit similar in COVID-19.