Vector-borne diseases (VBDs) continue to emerge, with several recently spreading into the U.S., and in particular the Gulf Coast region. Following the re-emergence of dengue virus (DENV) in the 1980s, chikungunya virus (CHIKV) arrived in 2013 to cause 2 million cases of debilitating, chronic arthralgia as it spread through Latin America into the southern U.S. with local transmission in Florida and Texas. Like DENV, CHIKV is transmitted in urban settings by Aedes aegypti, but has also adapted for transmission by A. albopictus. Also in 2013, Zika virus (ZIKV) arrived in Brazil followed by rapid spread through the neotropics and into Florida. Although most infections are asymptomatic or mild, thousands of cases of fetal microcephaly have followed infection of pregnant women, along with a 20-fold rise in Guillain Barr syndrome. Finally, West Nile virus (WNV), introduced into New York in 1999, rapidly spread into the Gulf region to become endemic, with epizootics resulting in increased neuroinvasive disease in Dallas, 2012 and Houston, 2014. In addition to these mosquito-borne VBDs, novel tick-borne diseases have also been discovered in the U.S. with limited ability to diagnose and prevent human infection. Despite ample warning of the arrival of emerging VBDs, there has been little success in controlling their spread due to the difficulty in controlling the anthropophilic A. aegypti mosquito, insecticide resistance, and years of neglect for vector surveillance and control. Among the most vulnerable regions of the U.S. are major hubs of immigration from the Caribbean and Latin America such as Houston and the Rio Grande Valley (RGV), destinations for air and terrestrial immigration, respectively, of millions of persons and with a history of resultant DENV and CHIKV circulation. To improve preparedness for VBDs, we will establish the Western Gulf Center of Excellence for Vector-Borne Diseases to enhance capacity to anticipate, prevent and control VBDs. Staffed by recognized expertise in VBDs, vector biology and control, epidemiology and ecology, and with strong partnerships with public health organizations, we will: 1. Conduct applied research to develop and validate innovative and effective VBD prediction, prevention and control needed to respond to current and future threats. Individual projects will address improved surveillance, diagnostics and intervention, models for transmission related to weather and climate, and insecticide resistance. Validations of new tools and methods will be performed in Houston and the RGV. 2. Train the next generation of public health entomologists capable of rapidly detecting and responding to VBD outbreaks on the Gulf Coast and other regions of the U.S. 3. Strengthen effective collaborations among our consortium of academic scientists and public health organizations at the federal, state, and local levels to optimize VBD surveillance, prevention, and response. The improved predictive, surveillance and control methods, training of public health entomologists, and strengthening of academic-public health partnerships will have lasting impacts on the control of VBDs.
To better prepare for emerging vector-borne diseases in one of the highest risk regions of the southern U.S., we will develop the Western Gulf Center of Excellence for Vector-Borne Diseases by forming unique partnerships among several academic campuses along with local and state public health institutions. By conducting applied research to improve predictive models, surveillance, diagnosis and control methods, as well as by training public health entomologists, the Center will have lasting impacts on the control of VBDs in the Gulf Coast region as well as nationally.
