--- ---  # Here Are the New Safe-Sex Guidelines for Zika, According to the WHO by [NBC News](https://time.com/author/nbc-news/) ## NBC News May 31, 2016 2:36 PM UTC  Aedes aegypti mosquito, the species which transmits the dengue virus, chikungunya fever and zika is photographed on March 04, 2016 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Aedes aegypti mosquito, the species which transmits the dengue virus, chikungunya fever and zika is photographed on March 04, 2016 in Sao Paulo, Brazil.William Volcov—Brazil Photo Press/Getty Images by [NBC News](https://time.com/author/nbc-news/) ## NBC News May 31, 2016 2:36 PM UTC GENEVA — People returning from areas where the Zika virus is found should follow safe sex practices or abstain from sex for at least eight weeks rather than just four, the World Health Organization said Tuesday. The recommendation, which doubles the abstinence period the WHO previously had advised, comes after scientists found the virus lingers longer than previously thought in blood or other body fluids, spokesman Christian Lindmeier told a news briefing. If the male partner in a couple planning pregnancy has symptoms of the Zika virus, the period of safe abstinence should be six months, he added. “People should practice… [_Read the rest of the story from our partners at NBC News_](http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/zika-virus-outbreak/who-issues-stricter-safe-sex-guidelines-prevent-zika-n583031?cid=sm%5Ftw&hootPostID=2b613c5112e935c84205f3f21156130b?cid=par-time-article%5F20141002) Zika Safe-Sex Guidelines: WHO Announces New Recommendations ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4352242/zika-safe-sex-guidelines/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4352242/zika-safe-sex-guidelines/"},"headline":"Here Are the New Safe-Sex Guidelines for Zika, According to the WHO","datePublished":"2016-05-31T14:36:09.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T17:56:12.599Z","description":"They involve longer abstinence periods","url":"https://time.com/4352242/zika-safe-sex-guidelines/","keywords":["Zika"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt27c6af017754dd4e/6988959dcd1bba5034700e88/zika-virus-safe-sex-guidelines-who-abstinence.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"NBC News","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/nbc-news/"}],"articleSection":"Health","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt27c6af017754dd4e/6988959dcd1bba5034700e88/zika-virus-safe-sex-guidelines-who-abstinence.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Mosquito Aede Aegyptis","caption":"Aedes aegypti mosquito, the species which transmits the dengue virus, chikungunya fever and zika is photographed on March 04, 2016 in Sao Paulo, Brazil.","creditText":"William Volcov—Brazil Photo Press/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/health/","name":"Health"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/zika/","name":"Zika"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4352242/zika-safe-sex-guidelines/","name":"Here Are the New Safe-Sex Guidelines for Zika, According to the WHO"}}]}] ```