It’s been several months since we are facing the novelty virus, and still there are tons of questions surrounding the new coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Among the most burning questions is, how is it spread?
With colder weather approaching, there may be fewer concerns about disease transmission from insects, but it’s important to note that coronavirus is not spread by other pests.
We turned to the best and most up-to-date resource for information on coronavirus - the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Let’s take a look any myths about COVID-19 transmission and pests:
Insects and virus spread
Ticks and mosquitoes may transmit many critical diseases. Worldwide, mosquitoes are the leading insects that transmit infections to humans, such as malaria, Zika virus, West Nile virus (WNV), Eastern equine encephalitis (EEE), chikungunya, yellow fever and many more.
Ticks are responsible for the transmission of the most common vector-borne infection in the United States, Lyme disease, as well as many other infections such as Rocky Mountain spotted fever, babesiosis, and ehrlichiosis.
“Although highly contagious, Covid-19 does not appear to be spread through blood like some other communicable illnesses,” said OMRF immunologist Eliza Chakravarty, M.D.
“And it’s the blood-borne transmission that allows insects to transmit diseases like West Nile and Lyme.”
How is COVID-19 spread?
SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) and COVID-19 are zoonotic coronaviruses. These viruses have jumped the species barrier from their normal animal hosts to humans. This can happen through direct contact with an infected animal, as well as indirect contact or eating contaminated food.
COVID-19 and other coronaviruses like SARS and MERS are spread from person to person through tiny viral droplets, which pass from one person to another through mucus or saliva.
The virus also survives on surfaces for long periods of time, which means you can infect yourself by touching an object and then putting your hand in your nose, mouth or eyes.
Zoonotic diseases, once transmitted to humans, can spread through person-to-person contact as well. This makes proper hand-washing and other preventative actions recommended by the CDC as critically important to public safety.
Don’t let yourself get infected! Get protection from pest-transmitted diseases by equipping your home with ultrasonic pest repeller. It’s non-toxic, effective, and safe for everyone in your household.
