Mosquitoes cannot spread Covid: Study

Washington, July 19

Scientists have confirmed for the first time that the novel coronavirus behind the Covid-19 pandemic cannot be transmitted to people by mosquitoes, a finding that adds evidence to WHO's claim that the disease is not mosquito-borne.

The research, published in the journal Scientific Reports, provided the first experimental evidence on the capacity of SARS-

CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19 disease, to infect and be transmitted by mosquitoes.

"Here we provide the first experimental data to investigate the capacity of SARS-CoV-2 to infect and be transmitted by mosquitoes," the study noted.

"While the World Health Organization (WHO) has definitively stated that mosquitoes cannot transmit the virus, our study is the first to provide conclusive data supporting the theory," said Stephen Higgs, a co-author of the research from Kansas State University in the US.

Samples collected by the scientists within two hours of inoculation in mosquitoes confirmed efficient delivery of infectious viruses to these insects. — PTI

The Finding

According to the study, conducted at the university's Biosecurity Research Institute, the coronavirus is unable to replicate in three common and widely distributed species of mosquitoes -- Aedes aegypti, Aedes albopictus and Culex quinquefasciatus -- and hence cannot be transmitted to humans.