Group Forms Expert Network To Fight Insect-Spread Diseases

ANNAPOLIS, MD -- The Annapolis-based Entomological Society of America has teamed up with 18 scientific and medical societies, professional associations and advocacy groups to form the Vector-Borne Disease Network, a new coalition established to advise and support federal policymakers who must respond to issues surrounding the diseases spread by insects and related arthropods.

The incidence of diseases transmitted by ticks and mosquitoes in the U.S. continues to rise, such as Lyme disease, Zika, or West Nile virus. They are transmitted by vector organisms, primarily blood-feeding insects or arthropods. Vectors ingest disease-causing germs when biting an infected human or animal and later inject them into a new host during a subsequent bite.

Between 2004 and 2016, reported human disease cases in the U.S. resulting from bites from arthropods--primarily ticks and mosquitoes--tripled, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Meanwhile, nine new germs spread by ticks and mosquitoes were discovered or introduced in that same time frame.

Disease vectors pose significant threats to livestock and companion animals, as well. The underlying causes for these trends are varying and complex, and so are the potential solutions. The Vector-Borne Disease Network will rely on the expertise and perspectives offered by a variety of stakeholders invested in the mission to reduce the public health and economic risks posed by ticks and mosquitoes.

"Our country can no longer afford to be complacent toward the dangers posed by mosquito- and tick-borne disease," said Robert K. D. Peterson, Ph.D., president of the Entomological Society ofAmerica (ESA) and professor of entomology at Montana State University, in a statement. "From researchers and public health officials to policymakers and vector management professionals, it's time to roll up our sleeves and tackle this problem together."

Those involved in the newly formed Vector-Borne Disease Network include:

American Mosquito Control Association

American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene

Association of Public Health Laboratories

Association of State and Territorial Health Officials

Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists

Entomological Society of America

Georgia Mosquito Control Association

Midwest Center of Excellence for Vector-Borne Disease

National Association of County and City Health Officials

National Association of Vector-Borne Control Officials

National Environmental Health Association

National Pest Management Association

Northeast Regional Center for Excellence in Vector-Borne Diseases

Pacific Southwest Center of Excellence in Vector-Borne Diseases

Puerto Rico Vector Control Unit

Society for Vector Ecology

Southeastern Regional Center of Excellence in Vector-Borne Diseases

Western Gulf Center of Excellence for Vector-Borne Diseases