• Led by BSC researchers, a diverse group of experts from thirteen countries in Europe, South America, Asia and Africa came together to develop proactive measures against vector-borne diseases transmitted by mosquitoes and other insects.
• The research, published in the Lancet Regional Health Europe,  highlights the need for greater cross-border cooperation, improved epidemiological surveillance and the integration of local knowledge into health policies to reduce the impact of these diseases not only in Europe but globally.

Insects such as mosquitoes, ticks and sandflies transmit a range of diseases and cause significant mortality and morbidity across Europe to both humans and animals, including Lyme disease, tick-borne encephalitis, visceral leishmaniasis and Crimean-Congo Haemorrhagic Fever. Warming temperatures and shifting patterns in rainfall, along with increased global travel and trade, have coincided with a surge in some emerging vector-borne diseases in Europe in recent decades, mainly due to the introduction of the highly invasive mosquito, Aedes albopictus, otherwise known as the tiger mosquito.

The global burden of vector-borne diseases is growing, with the costs far outpacing the amount spent on prevention, while proactive, rather than reactive, prevention and control approaches can significantly reduce the socio-economic toll of infectious disease. Endemic countries globally, those regularly affected by these diseases, have decades of experience in controlling vector-borne diseases, and Europe has much to learn from this knowledge and how best to integrate this into local, national and regional policy. 

Led by researchers at the Global Health Resilience (GHR) group of the Earth Sciences Department at the Barcelona Supercomputing Center - Centro Nacional de Supercomputación (BSC-CNS), a diverse group of experts across epidemiology, climate science, clinical medicine, vector-control and public health policy came together to advocate for the expansion of transdisciplinary knowledge-sharing partnerships, to co-create proactive measures against vector-borne diseases. The team represented a diverse authorship across thirteen countries in Europe, South America, Asia and Africa. 

Intervention Toolkit

The team presented their experiences and expertise to explore an “Intervention Toolkit”, showcasing how an array of interventions could be applied and adapted to a European context. The study, published in the Lancet Regional Health Europe, explores five themes which are important for controlling vectors and vector-borne diseases globally. These included clinical case and risk management, vector management, adapting the built environment, data harmonisation and decision support tools and community engagement. 

"We propose here five key areas where Europe could and is integrating knowledge from endemic settings on vector and disease control, and advocate for the importance of cross-country knowledge sharing partnerships and integration at the public and policy level," said Gina Charnley, BSC researcher and first author of the study.

However, resources and financing are often limited, with urgent and shifting priorities at all levels, from governments and NGOs to scientists, medical professionals and the public. Currently, promising areas for immediate scale-up include improved tracking of emerging infectious diseases, from introduction to outbreaks, and expanded asymptomatic and serological data surveillance. More sustained cross-border collaboration and harmonisation of data and management plans are needed moving forward, and a greater integration of indigenous and local knowledge into established structures. 

From reactive to proactive control measures

"Emerging vector-borne diseases are an increasing problem in Europe due to climate change and increasing travel and trade, making for longer transmission seasons and a greater importation of cases. Europe is potentially under-prepared for these risks, with a need to switch from reactive to proactive control measures", said Rachel Lowe, BSC’s GHR group leader and senior author of the study.

“By integrating diverse perspectives from various geographic regions, disciplines, and areas of expertise, we have developed an “Intervention Toolkit” that provides a range of approaches for preparedness and control strategies targeting emerging vector-borne diseases in Europe, considering challenges related to culture, economics, climate, nature and biodiversity, laws and other risk factors”, she added. “We hope that showcasing these collaborative efforts will encourage more knowledge-sharing partnerships between vector-borne disease-endemic and -emerging countries, reducing the burden not only in Europe but globally.”

Reference: 

Charnley, G. E. C., Alcayna, T., Almuedo-Riera, A., Antoniou, C., Badolo, A., Bartumeus, F., Boodram, L.-L., Bueno-Marí, R., Codeço, C., Coelho, F. C., Costa, F., Cox, H., Haddad, N., Ab Hamid, N., Kittayapong, P., Korukluoğlu, G., Michaelakis, A., Maciel-de-Freitas, R., Montalvo, T., Muñoz, J., Sauleda Oliveras, S., Palmer, J. R. B., Barboza Pizard, C. J., Ribeiro, G. S., & Lowe, R. (2025). Strengthening resilience to emerging vector-borne diseases in Europe: Lessons learnt from countries facing endemic transmission. The Lancet Regional Health – Europe, 53, 101271. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lanepe.2025.101271.