The dictionary states the definition as âin a literal way or senseâ but adds that, informally, it can be âused for emphasis rather than being actually trueâ such as âwe were literally killing ourselves laughingâ. The definition was added in the September 2011 edition, but went unnoticed until this week.
Strictly speaking, it is not AIDS but HIV that spreads through blood, semen and from a mother to child. Mosquitoes cannot transmit HIV for two reasons. Firstly, when the mosquito bites with its probosis, it draws blood and injects saliva, which contains antiviral factors and immunoglobulins and hence cannot transmit HIV. The blood from one person is not injected into the mosquito's next victim.
Mosquito Transmitted Diseases. It has been known for over a century that certain mosquitoes can harbor and transmit the microorganisms that cause diseases. These disease pathogens are often viruses which are contracted or picked up by the mosquito when it bites (feeds on) an infected host including domestic or wild animals or people.