The mere presence of a virus in a bodily fluid doesn’t mean it is transmitted via that route. The Zika, dengue, and chikungunya viruses are present in fluids like saliva and semen but don’t spread orally or sexually. This fact has puzzled scientists for years, and now a research team has finally explained why.
On March 29, 2020, the World Health Organisation (WHO) posted a tweet that sparked concerns among scientists and prompted many to contact the WHO to say there was enough evidence to discredit the tweet’s contents, and suggest it steer clear of such assertions. The tweet was later proven to be factually incorrect but the WHO remained unconvinced for almost two years.
It read “FACT: #COVID19 is NOT airborne”.
