Health Highlights: March 30, 2015

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Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments, compiled by the editors of HealthDay:

Ebola Survivors Told to Practice Safe Sex

Ebola survivors should practice safe sex until more information is available about the length of time the deadly virus might remain in semen and other body fluids, the Liberan government said on the weekend.

Previously, men who survived Ebola infection were told to avoid sexual intercourse or to use a condom for three months, because the active virus had been detected for up to 82 days in semen, The New York Times reported.

All countries affected by Ebola should consider similar recommendations, according to Dr. David Nabarro, the United Nations secretary general’s special envoy for Ebola.

The issue is under urgent review by agencies involved in the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, The Times reported. Concerns were raised after the recent Ebola death of a woman in Liberia, whose only known risk factor was having a boyfriend who was an Ebola survivor.

The genetic material of Ebola was found in a semen sample from the boyfriend, according to officials. The earliest the women could have been infected was well over three months after her boyfried was cured of Ebola.

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