Fact-Check: Can mosquitoes spread Covid-19?

Team Udayavani, May 4, 2020, 3:36 PM IST

India has seen a lot of cases of severe illness and deaths each year caused by the pathogens that mosquitoes spread. This year even amid pandemic, Government has taken necessary steps to create awareness regarding illness caused by deadly mosquitoes. But new rumours of mosquitoes spreading Covid-19 has been doing rounds on social media.

Although, there is much more to learn about the coronavirus but based on current understandings, it is highly unlikely a mosquito will pick up the virus by biting an infected person.

Study says that, in order for a mosquito to transmit Covid-19, the disease would have to be able to multiply inside a female mosquito and then make its way to her salivary gland.

There are claims that mosquitoes can transmit other viruses such as dengue, yellow fever, chikungunya, Zika and Ross River virus. Even then, for a mosquito to become infected, it first needs to bite an infected animal or a person.

However, Covid-19 is spread through droplets of an infected person when he cough or sneezes and even if a mosquito did pick up a high enough dose of the virus, there is no evidence the virus would be able to infect the mosquito in order for it spread the virus to others.