Studies Confirm that Ebola Can Be Transmitted Sexually

Time magazine has published an article noting two recent medical papers that confirm that Ebola can be transmitted sexually. The first paper confirmed that a woman (who later died) had contracted Ebola from her sexual partner. The second paper reported the results of a study of 93 men who survived an Ebola infection, which found that some men still produce semen samples that test positive for Ebola nine months after they presented symptoms of the disease.

So, in a matter of decades, we have seen Ebola change from a disease that killed nearly everyone to a slightly less deadly disease on its way to becoming an STD. Eventually, like chicken pox or measles, it could become a rather benign illness. But it is this intermediate stage--still deadly, but able to spread more easily--when it is at its most dangerous.