Can Mosquitoes Carry Monkeypox?
WouterSeveral weeks ago, I received a post on Facebook from a user who claimed that monkeypox is spread through mosquitoes. In three days, the post was shared over 4,000 times and generated panicked comments.
The post was published by Dr. Abraar Karan, a clinical specialist at the California Department of Public Health, who had diagnosed a patient with monkeypox in California. The patient had a virus in his throat, rectum, and head. He did not have any respiratory symptoms, so his doctor did not test him for a urinary tract infection. But he agreed to a test for monkeypox.
When he was tested, the doctor found that the patient had not contracted monkeypox. He also found three bumps on his thigh, a condition that he thought was an ingrown hair. After his diagnosis, the doctor told him to isolate himself.
The next day, Britain’s Health Security Agency asked for more information about the case. The agency then invited Dr. Orkin to come and present his findings.
On August 2, senior members of the W.H.O. responded to the post. They asked whether or not mosquitoes were spreading the virus, and if so, how. They also asked whether condoms were a possible transmission route.
Rochelle Walensky, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, has also spoken publicly about containment prospects in the U.S. and other countries. She also stated that “monkeypox is not a global pandemic” and that the C.D.C. was “still researching” the possibility of asymptomatic transmission.
