Should you worry about getting AIDS from a mosquito bite?

by Kristin Henry

The simple answer is... NO.

While it is not completely impossible, getting AIDS from an insect bite is EXTREMELY unlikely.

Let's Look at what would have to happen:

How would HIV get into a mosquito?

First of all, the mosquito would have to bite a person infected with HIV.

This person would also have to be in a stage of infection when HIV particles are in the blood. The amount of infectious HIV particles found in the blood changes over the course of an infection.

The blood taken by the mosquito would have to have HIV particles in it.

How would HIV survive in a mosquito?

Since the mosquito is NOT part of the HIV “life cycle”, the transfer of the virus would be entirely up to chance events.

These HIV particles would have to somehow get into the saliva of the mosquito, and then be transferred to a new person.

How would HIV get from a mosquito to you?

During a bite, the mosquito injects saliva into your blood. This keeps your blood liquid, and easy for the mosquito to take.

The mosquito drinks, and leaves. Any mosquito saliva left is all that could contain a possible HIV particle. It looks like a mosquito does not transfer much from “meal to meal”.

When you account for each step, the odds are extremely minimal of getting AIDS from a mosquito.

So, you really don't have to worry about getting AIDS from a mosquito bite.

If you're still worried, remember that not one case has ever been documented.