Can COVID-19 spread through insect bites, houseflies?

Dubai: As COVID-19 spreads, microbiologists and virologists are looking at ways in which the virus can be transmitted, with some possibilities that may have been overlooked. One of the questions pertains to whether the virus can be transmitted through insect contact, bites and blood?

Dr Sundar Elayaperumal, specialist microbiologist at Burjeel Hospital, Abu Dhabi, said there is no evidence to suggest that the virus that causes COVID-19, can be transmitted through blood directly or through insect bites. “This is a myth and so far not scientific. However, there is a chance that the common housefly might be a mechanical vector for the spread of the infection as the fly can sit on a contaminated surface and transmit it to another surface.”

Asked whether the virus caan be transmitted through insect bites such as mosquitoes or ticks, Dr Elayaperumal said that so far, there was no scientific evidence to support such a claim. “Many diseases such as dengue, malaria, eastern encephalitis and yellow fever can be transmitted through insect bites. That is because the virus can thrive and multiply in the gut of the mosquito or tick. However, so far we have no evidence that the novel coronavirus has the capacity to multiply in the mosquito or tick gut.”

Dr Fernanda Bonilla, Staff Physician, Infectious Diseases, Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, seconds that.

Dr Bonilla further added : “The primary mode of transmission is through contact with droplets generated when an infected person coughs or sneezes. The best way for people to protect themselves from COVID-19 is to practise physical distancing, maintain hand hygiene and follow government advice.”