Vector Surveillance and Human Health

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Background

High income countries are seeing a rise in vector-borne diseases due to globalization and global warming, although this may be an old problem in the majority of the World. Arthropod vectors are animals able to transmit infectious pathogens into other animals, including humans. In the absence of effective vaccines or specific treatments, the main way to prevent and control the vector-borne diseases is through the control of vectors. The control of vectors has a goal to preserve Public Health but we need surveillance to plan these campaigns and monitor its effectiveness. The surveillance and control of vectors should be included in a One Health approach due to several reasons: First, because the surveillance and control of vectors usually has an effect on the environment. Second, because several vector-borne diseases are a zoonosis, meaning an infectious disease that is shared between humans and other animals, which makes the issue more complex. Human health is positively impacted by the surveillance of vectors, but this surveillance also helps in the following:
- Reduction of the direct environmental impact (due to use of biocides)
- Reduction of the indirect environmental impact (the waste and spending are decreased)
- Reduction of impact on human health of control actions (due to use of biocides)
- Improvement of human health due to the improvement of control actions, because a more effective control of vectors should result in a reduction of vector-borne disease cases.

Entomological surveillance implicitly contributes to the EcoHealth perspective and One Health approach for several reasons:
First, in exchange of an increase of prevention actions, control actions are reduced, resulting in a positive impact on the environment. The surveillance adjusts the appropriate control measures and the intensity of them. On one hand, prevention actions could be unique control actions related to the modification of environmental factors (i.e. to fill structural holes to avoid tiger mosquito breeding sites; to cover cracks in a wall of coops to reduce Argasidae ticks; etc.) which have less environmental impact than the use of biocides. On the other hand, the risks could be identified so the extensive controls with biocides be reduced in time and space.
Second, entomological surveillance is also a useful tool for the success of control actions. Thus, the control must be replayed only if it was not effective enough or it should be modified if other types could be more appropriate (after the first approach).

The aim of this Research Topic is to bring together a series of key papers showing the impact of the arthropod vector surveillance activities in human health and the global environment. The surveillance of vectors will help aid in the planning of public health policies and campaigns or control programs, and the development of action protocols etc. Examples can include a wide variety of cases related to arthropod vector surveillance and human health, for which we encourage authors to submit manuscripts that include any of the following arthropod vectors: ticks, sandflies, tse-tse flies, black flies, mosquitos, kissing bugs etc.

Areas to be covered in this Research Topic may include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Surveillance of arthropod vectors in vector-borne disease (VBD) outbreak scenarios, and how this impacts the global environment
- Contribution of arthropod vector surveillance for Prevention of VBD transmission
- Surveillance of arthropod vectors supporting Public Health actions against VDB
- Surveillance of arthropod vectors activities conducted under the One Health perspective
- Surveillance of arthropod vectors using integrated Citizen- Science approach
- Surveillance of arthropod vectors of zoonotic VBD
- Surveillance of arthropod vectors in EcoHealth perspective and One Health approach; how the surveillance of vectors is intrinsically linked with Public Health initiatives and environmental impact.

Keywords: vectors, mosquitos, vector surveillance, maps, human / animal health

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.

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