The World Organization has upped the recommended number of weeks people should follow safe sex practices or abstain from sex after returning from Zika-infected areas from four to eight, according to Reuters Health.
WHO updated the suggested abstinence period after scientists discovered the virus can linger in blood longer than previously thought, WHO spokesman Christian Lindmeier said in a news briefing, according to the Reuters Health report.
Mr. Lindmeier also said scientists are still trying to determine how long the virus can be detected in saliva, but tests have been inconclusive thus far, according to Reuters Health.
For WHO's full interim guidance on preventing the sexual transmission of Zika virus, click here.
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