Viral load: Hantavirus may linger in semen for 6 years and be transmitted via sex, study finds
A study has found that the Andes strain of hantavirus can persist in human semen for nearly six years after infection. This raises concerns about potential sexual transmission, although no confirmed cases have been documented. The findings prompt a reevaluation of patient care and monitoring for those who have recovered from hantavirus infections.
- ▪Researchers at Switzerland's Spiez Laboratory discovered that hantavirus can survive in semen for up to six years.
- ▪The study involved a 55-year-old Swiss man who had contracted the virus while traveling in South America.
- ▪Health officials are monitoring contacts following a hantavirus outbreak on the cruise ship MV Hondius, which has resulted in three deaths.
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Viral load: Hantavirus may linger in semen for 6 years and be transmitted via sex, study findsSign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inboxResearchers at Switzerland’s Spiez Laboratory say a deadly strain of the hantavirus can survive in the body’s “biological safe harbours” like the testes.PHOTO: AFPRaul DancelPublished May 16, 2026, 04:37 PMUpdated May 16, 2026, 04:37 PMHantavirus — now at the centre of a growing epidemiological mystery — is raising a troubling possibility: that it can linger in human semen for years and potentially be transmitted through sex.A peer-reviewed study published in the journal Viruses in 2023 found that the deadly Andes strain of the virus remained in a man’s semen nearly six years after he was first infected.The study, conducted by researchers…
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