In a study related to  COVID 19 in China. The virus was found to be present semen of some Infected patient even after recovery. This has indeed fueled the speculation of Corona Virus or COVID 19 being a Sexually transmitted Diseases (or STD).

What happened as per the study…

• 38 patients, aged 15 and older, tested

• Virus detected in Semen of 6 patient

• Further research needed to determine whether the virus can be sexually transmitted

Though this can’t be  conclusive evidence of Corona being an STD. Dr. Bob Lahita  an American physician, internist, and rheumatologist, puts some light on what the findings may mean. He says, “This is something not new, this has been found in the patients with Ebola/Zika and many other viruses that the virus remains in the reproductory track of the men even when the body fully recovers”.

As per Dr. Lahita Immunoligically, there are privileged sights in the body that are not readily attacked by the immune system, these are called immunologically privileged sights. Those are

1.The inner portion of the eyeball

2.The thyroid gland

3.The Ovary

4.The testicles

So it would stand to reason that the virus could reside there without being destroyed by the immune system necessarily for some period of time. That being said it is possible that  sexual intercourse may actually result in the transmission of the virus. The reason this is so important is that we don’t know how long the virus persists in the body long after people recovered. 

Dr. Anne W. Rimoin, Epidemiology at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health and Infectious Disease Division of the Geffen School of Medicine says “It just not remain the issue of respiratory transmission but Sexual transmission.The big question is, however, whether or not the virus inside the semen is infectious and can be transmittable in this route is the next thing which we actually have to understand”.

She also emphashis on the point to have more conclusive data. So more data or a bigger sample size is required along with the patient’s age and stating other factors such as the contraction period of the disease, the duration of the virus in the semen is something needed to be found out.

To conclude, we would say the research or the study by Chinese authority should be taken ahead as it is not very conclusive that Coronavirus can be transmitted through sexual contact. Also, it seems that we are still learning new things about the virus, this thing also seems to be one of the new things. Having said that, it should not be taken lightly as the Chinese did the study on 38 people and that out of those 6 of them were noted to have the virus inside their semen. Having said that 6 out of 38 is surely a large number if we extrapolate that to several hundred people it may be quiet significant. 

People are suggested to remain abstain from having sex or at-least have protected sex and get tested.

Also Read 

• Why STD testing after the Lockdown is a must?
• STDs harming Immune system & COVID 19
• STD testing during the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic

 

38 patients were tested of which Virus detected in Semen of 6 patient