Vector-borne diseases news, resources and funding for global health researchers

Vector-borne diseases news, resources and funding for global health researchers

Vector-borne diseases, like malaria, dengue, and Zika, are spread by vectors. Mosquitoes, ticks, and fleas are vectors. They can spread germs through bites. Malaria alone claims hundreds of thousands of lives each year, most of them children in Africa, while up to 400 million people are infected by dengue each year. Treatments are available for some, but not all, vector-borne illnesses.

NIH supports a a wide range of programs aimed at combatting these diseases, including the Multilateral Initiative on Malaria, the Ecology and Evolution of Infectious Diseases program, a joint NIH -National Science Foundation (NSF) initiative, and Fogarty's own Global Infectious Disease program, which supports research training efforts that advance scientific discoveries, while developing local capacity in malaria research, vector biology, and vaccine development in places where it's needed most.

Fogarty's epidemiology division studies malaria transmission patterns, drug resistance, and other related topics, modeling malaria's prevalence and impact.