How Can West Nile Virus Be Transmitted?
West Nile Virus is carried in birds and transmitted to other birds mostly by mosquitoes. The virus spreads through mosquito bites and can infect mammals including humans. Some research has indicated that WNV can be transmitted from bird to bird without a mosquito vector, however this mechanism of transmission is unknown. For transmission to humans, in 2002 the Center for Disease Control confirmed additional routes of transmission which include**: • infection through transplanted organs • one case of transplacental (mother-to-child) infection • one case of transmission through breast milk • blood transfusion-associated transmission **These routes of transmission represent only a very small proportion of WNV cases. NOTE: West Nile Virus cannot be transmitted through touching.
