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Covid-19: Can Mosquitoes, Ticks Spread Virus? CDC, World Health Organization Weigh In

While COVID-19 can spread in a number of ways, mosquitoes and ticks are not among them, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and World Health Organization (WHO) are now saying.

COVID-19 cannot be spread through mosquitoes or ticks, according to international health experts.

COVID-19 cannot be spread through mosquitoes or ticks, according to international health experts.

Photo Credit: Pixabay

There is no data to suggest that COVID is spread by either mosquitoes or ticks, and is more likely to be spread from person to person through droplets when they talk, cough, or sneeze, the CDC said.

According to the World Health Organization, to date, there is no evidence to suggest that the virus could be transmitted by the insects.

“The new coronavirus is a respiratory virus which spreads primarily through droplets generated by an infected person,” the WHO noted. “To protect yourself, clean your hands frequently with an alcohol-based hand rub or wash them with soap and water.

“Also avoid close contact with anyone who is coughing and sneezing.”

A new study out of Kansas State University found that “three widely distributed species of mosquito, which represent the two most significant genera of the insect that infect people, were tested, and it was determined that the virus cannot spread through them.

“We demonstrate that even under extreme conditions, SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) 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,” researchers stated.

“Although we do not know the duration of virus infectivity on contaminated surfaces, mechanical transmission by (mosquitoes) seems highly unlikely, and even if not impossible, would result in very few, if any human infections, and not be epidemiologically relevant.” 

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