World Health Day focuses on spead of global diseases

More than half the world’s population is at risk from diseases such as malaria, dengue, leishmaniasis, Lyme disease, schistosomiasis, and yellow fever, which are carried by mosquitoes, flies, ticks, water snails, and other vectors, according to the EU.

Annually, more than one billion people are infected and more than one million die from vector-borne diseases. On World Health Day, which takes place on 7 April, the World Health Organization (WHO) is highlighting the serious and increasing threat of vector-borne diseases, with the slogan ‘Small bite, big threat’.

Dr Margaret Chan, WHO director general, says: “A global health agenda that gives higher priority to vector control could save many lives and avert much suffering. Simple, cost-effective interventions like insecticide-treated bed nets and indoor spraying have already saved millions of lives.”

Within the past two decades, many important vector-borne diseases have also re-emerged or spread to new parts of the world. Environmental changes, a significant increase in international travel and trade, changes in agricultural practices and rapid unplanned urbanisation are causing an increase in the number and spread of many vectors worldwide. A new group of people, notably tourists and business travellers, are now considered vulnerable.

The EU, through FP7, supported 67 international research projects worth €142m between 2007-2013. They covered basic research, vaccines, diagnostics and drugs research on the mosquito vector as well as research capacity building and training researchers.

The European and Developing Countries’ Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP) initiative has so far invested €50m for malaria research, including 32 clinical trials on improved treatments and new vaccine candidates. The European Parliament is due to vote 15 April on a proposal to extend EDCTP funding under Horizon 2020.