CORONAVIRUS AND MOSQUITOES – DO THEY SPREAD IT? There is no evidence that coronavirus is spread by mosquitoes, CDC: (But there is no evidence that it doesn't!)

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CORONAVIRUS AND MOSQUITOES – DO THEY SPREAD IT?

Can the coronavirus be spread by a mosquito bite? Captain Stan The Mosquito Man, who holds a PhD in Public Health and works with the CDC claims, "there is no evidence whatsoever that any coronavirus is spread by mosquito bite." However, there is no evidence that it doesn't. Covid-19 is a virus and mosquitoes are well known for spreading viruses, some of them deadly. Nearly 700 million people get a mosquito-borne illness each year resulting in over one million deaths.

Mosquito-borne diseases or mosquito-borne illnesses are diseases caused by bacteria, viruses or parasites transmitted by mosquitoes. Nearly 700 million people get a mosquito-borne illness each year resulting in over one million deaths.

Diseases transmitted by mosquitoes include malaria, dengue, West Nile virus, chikungunya, yellow fever, filariasis, tularemia, dirofilariasis, Japanese encephalitis, Saint Louis encephalitis, Western equine encephalitis, Eastern equine encephalitis, Venezuelan equine encephalitis, Ross River fever, Barmah Forest fever, La Crosse encephalitis, and Zika fever, as well as newly detected Keystone virus and Rift Valley fever.

According to WHO, people can catch COVID-19 from others who have the virus. The disease can spread from person to person through small droplets from the nose or mouth which are spread when a person with COVID-19 coughs or exhales. These droplets land on objects and surfaces around the person. Other people then catch COVID-19 by touching these objects or surfaces, then touching their eyes, nose or mouth. People can also catch COVID-19 if they breathe in droplets from a person with COVID-19 who coughs out or exhales droplets. There is no mention of the coronavirus being spread by a mosquito bite. WHO

Although 2019-nCoV likely came from an animal, it now appears to be spreading person-to-person. There is no evidence whatsoever that any coronavirus is spread by mosquito bite. (but there is no evidence that it doesn't!) But what, exactly, is ‘person-to-person’ transmission? This occurs mainly via respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes, similar to how influenza and common colds are spread. These droplets can land in the mouths or noses of people who are nearby or may even be inhaled into the lungs. Usually, this happens within about 6 feet. Also, note that some viruses are highly contagious (such as measles) while others are less so. We still have much to learn about just how contagious 2019-nCoV is as well as many other aspects of its epidemiology. PCT

Mosquito-borne diseases or mosquito-borne illnesses are diseases caused by bacteria, viruses or parasites transmitted by mosquitoes. Nearly 700 million people get a mosquito-borne illness each year resulting in over one million deaths.

Diseases transmitted by mosquitoes include malaria, dengue, West Nile virus, chikungunya, yellow fever, filariasis, tularemia, dirofilariasis, Japanese encephalitis, Saint Louis encephalitis, Western equine encephalitis, Eastern equine encephalitis, Venezuelan equine encephalitis, Ross River fever, Barmah Forest fever, La Crosse encephalitis, and Zika fever, as well as newly detected Keystone virus and Rift Valley fever.

Virus

The viral diseases yellow fever, dengue fever, Zika fever and chikungunya are transmitted mostly by  Aedes aegypti mosquitoes.

Other viral diseases like epidemic polyarthritis, Rift Valley fever, Ross River fever, St. Louis encephalitis, West Nile fever, Japanese encephalitis, La Crosse encephalitis and several other encephalitic diseases are carried by several different mosquitoes. Eastern equine encephalitis (EEE) and Western equine encephalitis (WEE) occur in the United States where they cause disease in humans, horses, and some bird species. Because of the high mortality rate, EEE and WEE are regarded as two of the most serious mosquito-borne diseases in the United States. Symptoms range from a mild flu-like illness to encephalitis, coma and death.

Viruses carried by arthropods such as mosquitoes or ticks are known collectively as arboviruses. West Nile virus was accidentally introduced into the United States in 1999 and by 2003 had spread to almost every state with over 3,000 cases in 2006.

Other species of Aedes, as well as Culex and Culiseta, are also involved in the transmission of disease.

Myxomatosis is spread by biting insects, including mosquitoes.

Transmission

A mosquito's period of feeding is often undetected; the bite only becomes apparent because of the immune reaction it provokes. When a mosquito bites a human, it injects saliva and anti-coagulants. For any given individual, with the initial bite, there is no reaction but with subsequent bites, the body's immune system develops antibodies and a bite becomes inflamed and itchy within 24 hours. This is the usual reaction in young children. With more bites, the sensitivity of the human immune system increases, and an itchy red hive appears in minutes where the immune response has broken capillary blood vessels and fluid has collected under the skin. This type of reaction is common in older children and adults. Some adults can become desensitized to mosquitoes and have little or no reaction to their bites, while others can become hyper-sensitive with bites causing blistering, bruising, and large inflammatory reactions, a response known as skeeter syndrome. Wikipedia

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