A.I.D.S. Not Spread By Mosquito — Study (Press, 29 February 1988)

A study conducted by a United States research team has determined that the A.I.D.S. virus cannot be transmitted by mosquitoes, countering fears held by local officials in Belle Glade, Florida. Dr Kenneth Castro, an A.I.D.S. researcher with the Centre for Disease Control in Atlanta, communicated that the study concluded insects are an unlikely vector for A.I.D.S. infection. The research focused on Belle Glade, a small farming community with a population of 16,500, which reported 93 A.I.D.S. cases between July 1982 and August 1987. This high prevalence of infection in a small population raised concerns, especially since many individuals did not have identifiable risk factors for the disease. Speculation had arisen in the community regarding mosquitoes as a potential source of infection. Dr Castro explained that their exhaustive investigation, which included interviews and risk factor identification, ruled out mosquitoes as a cause of the infection's spread. Instead, the study identified typical risk factors associated with A.I.D.S., such as sexual contact with infected individuals, intravenous drug use, blood transfusions, and being born to an infected mother. A significant aspect of the research was the finding that all A.I.D.S. victims in Belle Glade were aged between 10 and 60. The researchers suggested that if mosquitoes or environmental factors were responsible for transmitting the virus, the age distribution would likely differ. The study posits that A.I.D.S. was probably introduced to Belle Glade by homosexual or bisexual men and male drug abusers from outside the community. Furthermore, the researchers indicated that Belle Glade could serve as a model for understanding how the A.I.D.S. virus, known scientifically as the human immunodeficiency virus (H.I.V.), may spread in other regions of the United States and globally. The study highlights that situations involving increased sexual activity with multiple partners, prostitution, and shared needles among drug users are likely to promote further H.I.V. transmission.

The text on this page is created, in the most part, using Generative AI and so may contain errors or omissions. It is supplied to you without guarantee or warranty of correctness. If you find an error or would like to make a content suggestion please get in contact

The text on this page is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 New Zealand