Fairfax (Va.) Cryobank is offering one year free sperm storage to men attending the 2016 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games in Brazil. The opportunity is being offered to help curb the sexual transmission of Zika.
The offer is being extended to those directly involved with games, member of the media and spectators. While there is much yet to be discovered regarding the lifespan of Zika in semen, some research has suggested the virus can subsist for up to three months in seminal fluid.
"Providing this program to help athletes and others attending the Olympics to have healthy babies by using Zika-free sperm to conceive is the best way Fairfax Cryobank can support U.S. participation in the games," said Michelle Ottey, PhD, the director of Fairfax Cryobank's Laboratory.
As of July 15, there have been 346 pregnant women with laboratory evidence of the Zika virus and nine babies born with Zika-related birth defects in the U.S.
Learn more about Fairfax Cryobank here.
More articles on the Zika virus:
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Olympics likely won't spread Zika worldwide, CDC says: 3 things to know