Prevention and Control of Vector-Borne Infectious Diseases

Dear Colleagues,

Vector-borne infectious diseases have been on the rise in recent years across diverse regions worldwide. While environmental and infrastructural factors often make low- and middle-income countries particularly vulnerable to outbreaks, global forces—such as climate change and increased mobility—are reshaping the epidemiological landscape everywhere.

Malaria remains highly endemic in sub-Saharan Africa, where outbreaks of other vector-borne infections have also been reported. Across Southeast Asia, Latin American, and the Caribbean, dengue and other arboviral diseases—where vectors such as Aedes aegypti play a significant role—are exhibiting alarming upward trends. In North America, particularly in regions of the United States, incidences of Lyme disease, West Nile virus, and sporadic cases of dengue (notably in Florida and Texas) are increasing. Similarly, outbreaks of West Nile virus, dengue, and chikungunya have emerged in Southern Europe and the Mediterranean (including Italy, Spain, and Greece).

The convergence of numerous interrelated factors is fueling this phenomenon: climate change (including temperature rises and altered precipitation patterns expanding the geographical range of vectors); rapid urbanization and land-use transformation, which create new breeding sites; globalization and heightened human mobility, which facilitate the spread of vectors and pathogens; and growing challenges in public health operations, particularly insecticide resistance.

There is an urgent need to implement both time-tested and novel approaches for the prevention, surveillance, monitoring, and control of vector-borne infectious diseases—aimed at halting their escalating incidence and expanding geographic reach.

We are pleased to invite submissions to this Special Issue, which aims to present forward-looking research, interventions, and policy-relevant insights. We welcome manuscripts that address prevention in regions where vector-borne infectious diseases have not yet emerged, as well as strategies to mitigate re-emergence in previously affected areas. Studies that empower decision-making among public health stakeholders, community leaders, and residents in endemic regions are encouraged—particularly those that propose optimal, evidence-based approaches for controlling transmission and preventing outbreaks. We also encourage submissions that document shifts in vector distributions, the establishment of new vector populations in non-endemic areas, and spatial analysis that highlights risk zones for disease transmission.

Epidemiological investigations that enhance our understanding of disease dynamics and directly inform control strategies are welcome. Topics of interest include—but are not limited to—disease mapping and spatial analysis, risk factor identification, surveillance system design and innovation, outbreak investigation methods, integrated vector management (IVM), insecticide resistance mechanisms, climate change and vector ecology, and One Heath.

Dr. Patricia Penilla-Navarro
Dr. Francisco Solis-Santoyo
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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