Yesterday the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared COVID 19, a pandemic following over 118,000 cases of infections in 114 countries and 4,291 deaths have been reported across the world since its outbreak. Coronavirus infections have been linked to symptoms such as a runny nose, cough, sore throat, a possible headache and maybe a fever, which can last for a couple of days. In severe cases, the virus can cause diarrhoea, fatigue, shortness of breath, respiratory distress and kidney failure.
New research by Chinese experts has revealed that coronavirus may cause testicular damage and male infertility, and those infected men who want to have children or maintain the quality of their sex life should get examined. The coronavirus invades cells in the body causing tissue damage, and just like lungs, other organs of the human body, such as the testes, small intestine, kidney, heart, and thyroid can be affected as well.
“Theoretically speaking, the COVID-19 infection may cause testicular damage, affecting sperm production and androgen synthesis. Therefore, males infected with new coronary pneumonia should undergo fertility examination after rehabilitation,” said a Professor and team leader of the research Li Yufeng of the Center for Reproductive Medicine of Tongji Medical College in Wuhan, Central China’s Hubei Province.
WHO has called upon nations to take aggressive actions against the deadly virus. So far more than 90 per cent of cases are in China, Italy, Iran and South Korea, but the number of cases in China and South Korea is declining significantly. However, those countries with new infections are struggling to contain the situation to prevent spread as a majority lack of capacity while others with a lack of resources.
