Does AIDS spread through mosquito bites?
Dr LM Nath
Consultant, Community Medicine,
New Delhi
Consultant, Community Medicine,
New Delhi
Q: Why doesnt AIDS spread through mosquito bites as it too acts like a used needle, right? This looks like a silly question, but I am curious about it.
A:This is a good question.Our current knowledge suggests that mosquitos do not spread HIV/AIDS. There is evidence, for one thing - mosquitos bite regardless of the age of the person, while HIV infection is either in babies through mother to child transmission or in those who are sexually active. The reason is probably that HIV is a labile virus, the mosquitos digest the blood cells and destroy them and once a mosquito has had a blood feed, it does not immediately need another.