Uganda gov’t urges men who survive Ebola to ‘avoid sex for at least 6 months’

Uganda’s Ministry of Health has advised men who recover from Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) to avoid sexual intercourse for at least six months or consistently and correctly use condoms, warning that the virus can remain in semen long after a patient has recovered.

In a public health advisory issued on Saturday, the ministry said the precaution is necessary to reduce the risk of further transmission, even after survivors are declared free of the disease.

“Men who recover from Ebola should avoid sex for at least six months or use condoms consistently and correctly. This is because the virus can stay in semen even after recovery,” the ministry stated.

The advisory comes as Uganda continues to grapple with a growing Ebola outbreak linked to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), where the disease has spread rapidly in recent weeks.

Health authorities have intensified contact tracing, surveillance and public awareness campaigns as the number of confirmed infections rises.

Uganda on Friday confirmed two additional Ebola cases involving health workers in Kampala, bringing the country’s total number of confirmed infections to nine, including one death.

The ministry, in a statement, said both newly confirmed patients are Congolese nationals. I noted that one of the patients presented symptoms consistent with Ebola and was immediately isolated by health authorities, while the second patient was identified as a contact of a previously confirmed case.

Health officials said all contacts linked to the new cases have been identified and placed under close monitoring as part of efforts to prevent further transmission.

"The public is reminded of the following Ebola symptoms: sudden fever, fatigue, muscle pain, vomiting, diarrhea and unexplained bleeding. If you or someone you know has these symptoms, call our toll-free number immediately. When an individual reports early, the chances of survival are high," the ministry said.

The latest cases come amid growing concern over a regional outbreak of the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola that has been spreading in eastern DRC and has already crossed into Uganda through imported infections.

The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday that there are 906 suspected Ebola cases in the DRC, including 223 suspected deaths that are still under investigation.

So far, 125 cases and 17 deaths have been confirmed in the provinces of Ituri, North Kivu and South Kivu.

Health experts have expressed concern over the outbreak because it circulated undetected for nearly two months before being identified, allowing the virus to spread through densely populated communities and complicating efforts to trace and isolate contacts.

The WHO has classified the outbreak as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern, warning that the Bundibugyo strain poses additional challenges because there is currently no approved vaccine specifically targeting it.

According to WHO officials, the fatality rate among confirmed Ebola patients ranges between 30 and 50 percent, meaning up to five in every ten infected individuals could die without timely medical intervention.