The impact of semen testing for Ebola virus RNA on sexual behavior of male Ebola survivors in Liberia

by Kathleen Tompkins, Jerry Brown, Sam Tozay, Edwina Reeves, Korto Pewu, Harrietta Johnson, Gerald Williams, Tonia Conneh, Joseph Diggs, Jean DeMarco, Katherine King, Darrius McMillian, Carson Merenbloom, William Fischer, David Alain Wohl Sexual transmission of Ebola virus (EBOV) is well established and has been implicated in multiple resurgences during the West African Ebola epidemic. Given the persistence of viral RNA in semen, guidelines from the World Health Organization (WHO) recommend abstinence or condom use for at least 1 y ear or until two semen PCR tests are negative. To better understand the impact of semen testing on sexual behavior, male EVD survivors were surveyed regarding their sexual behavior before and after semen testing. Of the 171 men who enrolled, 148 reported being sexually active following discharge fro m an ETU with 59% reporting episodes of condomless sex. At least one semen sample for testing was provided by 149 men and 13 of these men had EBOV RNA detected in their semen. When comparing sexual behaviors before and after semen testing, a positive semen test result had limited impact on behavior. Of those with seminal EBOV RNA detected, 61% reported no change in behavior pre- and post-semen testing with 46% engaging in condomless sex before and after testing and only 1 adopted safer sex behaviors following receipt of a positive result. Similarly, among men with undetectable EBOV in their se men, 66% reported no change in sexual behaviors with semen ...
Source: PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases - Category: Tropical Medicine Authors: Source Type: research