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Mosquitoes can spread a range of infections, such as malaria and dengue fever, but they are not able to transmit HIV.
This is because:
- They lack the human T-cells needed in the body for the virus to replicate and survive, which means they cannot be infected with HIV.
- Even if a mosquito is exposed to HIV, they cannot pass it on because their bites inject saliva, rather than blood.
- For a mosquito to pass on HIV from person to person, it needs to be able to carry sufficient levels of the virus. A mosquito would have to give a lot of bites during the short period in which HIV survives in their body.
You can find out about how HIV is transmitted in another page on aidsmap.com.