Can mosquitoes transmit coronavirus? WHO answers

The novel coronavirus, now officially called Covid-19, has taken the lives of more than 185460 people and infected infected over 2659160 people across the world. The majority of cases were initially reported in central China’s Hubei province, the epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak, although a number of other countries, including the USA, Italy, and Spain, have overtaken China with respect to the number of cases as well as deaths. 

As the death toll and overall cases began rising rapidly across the world, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared a global health emergency. The agency has constantly been busting myths related to the deadly virus. A recent report suggested speculations of mosquitoes being possible transmitters of Covid-19 and the WHO has responded.

The WHO reportedly stated, “Various mosquito-borne diseases exist. These diseases are transmitted by the mosquitoes from an infected person to a healthy person. Many of these diseases are also viral infections, such as the Zika Virus, dengue, etc. These diseases are carried by different types of mosquitoes, and some of them have the ability to carry multiple diseases as well.”

“To date there has been no information nor evidence to suggest that the new coronavirus could be transmitted by mosquitoes. The new coronavirus is a respiratory virus which spreads primarily through droplets generated when an infected person coughs or sneezes, or through droplets of saliva or discharge from the nose. 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,” the agency further added.