Can Mosquitoes Spread HIV? What’s the Real Truth?

Your friendly neighbourhood myth busters are here to once again to, well, bust a myth!

Today's guests are the flying killing machines themselves. No, we're not talking about Elon’s spaceship incident but Mosquitoes (how’s that for an anticlimax)! The single creature that can create so much ire by just existing. Apparently, being annoying is neither a crime nor grounds for extermination (we checked).

But wait, there's a rumor floating around that mosquitoes spread HIV.

With almost 30 lakh Indians infected just in 2022, you'd think we are less susceptible to rumors and fearmongering. But it's almost sadly false in the case of HIV, because of the sheer stigma and shame surrounding it.

Why are these blood-sucking insects actually hailed as the super spreader of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)?

Is it just a mass hate campaign against mosquitoes kindled on by wasps? Or is it actually justified? Or is it an attempt to cover tracks invented by humans who swore they did nothing wrong to contract the disease?

To know all that, you first need to know just how they drink your blood. Hint: it's very Count Dracula-esque.

If you had a proboscis (fancy word for "snout"), with six sharp needles at the tip of what is basically a straw, would you drink blood?

Mosquitoes woke up and decided, “Yes, I will do exactly that” for some reason (survival, probably).

When a mosquito buzzes around, annoying the living daylights out of you and dodging all your attempts at a peace offering (via its death) to instead finally land on you, it pierces your skin with these needles and inserts two special tubes. One tube injects saliva, which contains substances that numb the area and prevent your blood from clotting. The other tube sucks up your delicious (to them, at least) blood meal. The Cullens have nothing on them!

So, if mosquitoes can inject saliva and suck up blood, why can't they spread HIV?

That's a very good question! If they can spread malaria, dengue, Japanese encephalitis, chikungunya and lymphatic filariasis, then why can't they just spread HIV? It's on the way and barely a detour.

The answer is in how they digest the blood they stole from us and the specific criteria for HIV to spread.

Because here's the thing: mosquitoes are basically tiny recycling centers for blood. They break down the blood proteins and other nutrients they need for energy and egg production. However, HIV is a very specific virus that can only replicate itself inside certain types of human cells, mainly white blood cells called T-cells.

Sherlock and the team at Kofuku are on the case already. What we've found out so far is that this mosquito HIV transmission myth is exactly just that, a myth.

Do you know why? Because they simply lack the right "accommodation" for HIV. Yes, you guessed it, their digestive system destroys the virus as its design demands, making it impossible for the virus to survive and spread to another person through a bite. That does include someone eating a whole mosquito too.

The broken-down version is so tiny that it would require literally ten million other mosquitoes to do any actual damage.

We don't need a music accompanied apology video from a mosquito representative because the case is solved. Mosquitoes DON’T spread HIV!

Now that you know mosquitoes are innocent parties in this (we further suspect the wasps' involvement), let's now learn the actual ways HIV can be transmitted:

• Unprotected Sexual Contact:

This is the most common way HIV spreads and the source of its stigma in India and many other countries. Even though they were victims of the system themselves, HIV becoming an epidemic among the small and tight-knit gay community, and among sex workers created an added layer of stigma. But the reality was that just having vaginal, anal, or oral sex without a condom or any other protection can expose you to the virus.

• Sharing Needles or Syringes:

Sharing used needles for injecting drugs or medications puts you at risk of contracting HIV and other blood-borne diseases like Hepatitis B and C.

• Mother-to-Child:

A pregnant woman with HIV can pass on the virus to her baby during any point of the pregnancy, childbirth, or even while breastfeeding. However, if both the infant and the mother are in a position to take all the precautions, the risk of this happening is less than 2%.

While the mosquito HIV transmission myth is the major one, it's not the only misconception floating around. Here are some other common myths we can swat away while we're still in our full myth-busters costume:

• Casual Contact:

You cannot get HIV by just trying to shake hands with someone who has the virus. This includes hugging, kissing on the cheek, or even sharing a toilet seat. HIV is not transmitted through bodily fluids like sweat, tears, or saliva unless there's blood involved.

• Insect Bites:

This smear campaign was of a much larger scale and we're here to assure you that no, other insects like ticks, bed bugs, or flies can’t transmit HIV either. Their feeding habits and biology just don't work with the conditions that need to be met for it to spread.

• Sharing Utensils or Eating with Someone with HIV:

Sharing plates, spoons, or food with someone who has HIV is perfectly safe. Again, the virus cannot be transmitted through saliva unless you're literally bleeding in your mouth and feeding each other like a mother bird (we know you’re trying to visualize).

Knowledge is your best defence against misinformation. By understanding how HIV spreads and how it doesn't, you can protect yourself and others.

Here are some other ways to stay vigilant:

• Get Tested Regularly:

If you're sexually active, especially MSMs (Men who have Sex with Men), getting tested for HIV and other STIs is a confirmed given. Early detection gives you the time for proper treatment and if you know it reduces the risk of spreading the virus to others.

• Practice Safe Sex:

Always use condoms or other protective barriers during sexual activity. This is the single most effective way to prevent HIV and other STIs.

• Talk Openly:

Talk to your partner(s) about your HIV status and their own. This is a great sex-positive activity that you can do with your partner. Do a test and make a date out of it even.

• Fight Stigma:

HIV is a manageable health condition, not a death sentence that deserves isolation and shaming. Fight against stigma and discrimination by educating yourself and others about the virus.

Learning about stigmatized diseases like HIV can help you unlearn the internalized hatred you've learnt to live with. It's important to posit more conversations that solidify sex positivity and help young and marginalised community people to speak out as well. We aim to do exactly that: Be the one to make you think long enough to talk about it.

So, the next time you hear anyone say mosquitoes spread HIV, you can confidently say, "Buzz off, Bozo!” because when else would this ridiculous sentence make such perfect sense.