Zika virus: What men need to know

The Public Health Agency of Canada has updated the recommendation for travellers visiting countries or areas with risk of Zika virus and the classification of countries according to risk or potential risk of Zika virus.

• PHAC no longer recommends that pregnant women or women who are trying to conceive avoid travelling to countries or areas with risk of Zika virus. Instead, they are advised to discuss potential travel with a health care professional, and may choose to avoid or postpone travel to these areas. PHAC continues to recommend that pregnant women avoid travelling to areas with a current Zika virus outbreak.
• The country classification scheme has been updated and aligns with the World Health Organization classification scheme. This scheme categorizes countries according to the presence or absence of current or historical reported Zika virus transmission.

On this page

• What men need to know
• Travelling to a country or area with risk of Zika virus
• Returning from a country or area with risk of Zika virus
• Men with a pregnant partner or planning a pregnancy after travelling

What men need to know

The Zika virus can:

• remain in the semen of infected men for a prolonged period of time
• be spread by an infected man with or without symptoms to his sexual partner(s)
• be spread sexually from a man to a woman, who may then pass it to her unborn baby and can cause serious birth defects

Travelling to a country or area with risk of Zika virus

When travelling to a country or area with risk of Zika, all men should:

• Consult a health care professional or visit a travel health clinic at least 6 weeks before travel;
• Prevent mosquito bites at all times;
• Protect yourself from contact with semen, vaginal fluid and blood during travel in countries or areas with risk of Zika virus;
• Always use condoms correctly or avoid sexual contact while in countries or areas with risk of Zika virus.

Returning from a country or area with risk of Zika virus

After returning from a country or area with risk of Zika, all men should:

• See a health care professional if you had or currently have symptoms of Zika virus infection.
• Tell your health care professional:
  • where you've been living or travelling, and
  • if you have had unprotected sexual contact with someone who could be infected with Zika virus.
• Always use condoms correctly or avoid sexual contact for 3 months after travel or after onset of illness due to Zika virus (whichever is longer).
• Before donating semen, wait 3 months after travel or after onset of illness due to Zika virus (whichever is longer).

Men with pregnant partner or planning a pregnancy after travelling

Men who have a pregnant partner should:

• Always use condoms correctly or avoid sexual contact for the entire duration of the pregnancy, after travelling to a country or area with risk of Zika virus

Men planning a pregnancy with their partner should:

• delay trying for a pregnancy by always using condoms correctly or avoiding sexual contact for 3 months after travel or after onset of illness due to Zika virus (whichever is longer), to reduce the risk of sexual transmission.

Men who have or had symptoms of Zika virus should talk to a health care professional about testing options if they have:

• travelled to and returned from a country or area with risk of Zika virus within the past 14 days, or
• had unprotected sexual contact within 3 months of return with a partner who might be pregnant or planning a pregnancy