COVID-19 virus isn't transmitted by mosquitoes, scientists find
At least that's one less thing to be concerned about.
A lot of coronavirus health myths are spreading through a worried and weary world. One concern is that mosquitos could feed on an infected person and then transmit the virus to another person. According to a new study from researchers at Kansas State University, we don't have to be concerned about that.
The World Health Organization had already declared that mosquito bites couldn't spread the virus. WHO even included that information as part of a "mythbusters" page on COVID-19, saying, "To date there has been no information nor evidence to suggest that the new coronavirus could be transmitted by mosquitoes."
"While the World Health Organization has definitively stated that mosquitoes cannot transmit the virus, our study is the first to provide conclusive data supporting the theory," said Kansas State's Stephen Higgs, co-author of a paper published in the journal Scientific Reports on Friday.
The researchers investigated three common mosquito species with wide ranges. "We demonstrate that even under extreme conditions, SARS-CoV-2 virus is unable to replicate in these mosquitoes and therefore cannot be transmitted to people even in the unlikely event that a mosquito fed upon a viremic host," the study said.
The study took place at Kansas State's Biosecurity Research Institute, a highly secure laboratory facility where infectious disease research takes place.
Mosquitoes might not be culprits in the spread of coronavirus, but people are. For more information on how to protect yourself, check out our guide on hygiene, social distancing and face masks.
