Indirect transmission occurs without direct contact with the infected person.

• A. It requires direct contact.
• B. It occurs without direct contact.
• C. It must involve an intermediate vehicle.
• D. It cannot occur in the absence of an intermediate host.

Answer: (B)

Indirect transmission means the pathogen is spread to a new person through something else, not by directly touching the infected individual. It can happen when a person touches a contaminated surface (a fomite) and then touches their mouth or nose, or when infectious particles travel through the air or a vector (like a mosquito) carries the agent to a new host. Because the transfer happens without direct contact with the sick person, this statement is true. The other ideas are too limiting: direct contact would be touching the person with the illness, which is not what indirect transmission describes; and while an intermediate vehicle is one way indirect transmission can occur, it isn’t required in all cases (airborne or droplet spread can happen without a defined object). Also, transmission does not always need an intermediate host; many indirect routes involve inanimate objects or the environment rather than another living host.