Male Ebola Survivors: Do Not Forget to Use a Condom!

Abstract

The current Ebola outbreak is the largest, longest, and most complex the world has ever seen, that is, the United Nations declared it "a threat to peace and security"¹ and the World Health Organization acknowledged it to be a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. As new evidence emerges² to enlighten the clinical characteristics and the prognosis of the acute phase of the disease, there is relatively scarce information about the convalescent phase, especially the measures to control the sexual transmission of Ebola.In order to assess the evidence that underlies the current recommendation (use of condom for 3 months in convalescent male³), we performed a systematic search of the literature (for articles indexed in Medline and Embase) using the following MESH terms (Ebolavirus; Hemorrhagic Fever, Ebola; Semen) with no further restrictions (Table 1).