Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Ebola Virus Can Remain In Semen For Over A Year In Men Who Survived Infection
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned late Tuesday that Ebola聽lingers in semen much longer than previously believed, underscoring how聽much we still聽don't聽understand about the virus. Researchers initially thought that once people survived聽Ebola they were聽immune and could聽no longer get sick and聽transmit the virus to others, as is the case with many other infectious diseases we're familiar聽with, such as chickenpox and even the bubonic plague. Then cases emerged like that of Scottish nurse聽Pauline Cafferkey, who was thought to have聽recovered聽but then had several relapses. American physician聽Ian Crozier's left eye turned from blue to green because of the virus that remained in his body. (Cha, 8/30)
The Ebola virus can linger for a year or even longer in the semen of some men, researchers reported Tuesday. That means that Ebola survivors could be an important source for re-igniting outbreaks of the deadly virus, which killed more than 11,000 people in in Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia in a two-year epidemic that ended earlier this year. (Fox, 8/30)