Mosquito-borne pathogens are among the most prevalent and dangerous threats to deployed Service Members, public health and regional stability. Diseases like dengue, malaria and Zika exist cyclically, where an infected mosquito spreads the disease to a human or vertebrate host who then spreads the disease back to a new mosquito when bitten again. In the absence of safe, effective vaccines for most mosquito-borne diseases, public health strategies rely on bite prevention technologies (bed nets, treated clothing, etc), repellents and preventive drugs whose efficacy is dependent on adherence and is increasingly limited by rising resistance amongst pathogens and their vectors. Furthermore, as the climate changes and mosquitos are able to survive in more areas of the world for more months out of the year, new regions are threatened by the diseases they carry. Deployed Service Members are particularly at risk, as they often lack any previous exposure to many mosquito-borne diseases. Furthermore, many of these pathogens lack safe, effective vaccines,
These dangers underscore the importance of active surveillance of both mosquitoes and the diseases they carry to inform public health efforts and responsive drug and vaccine development. AFRIMS has a lengthy history of both disease detection, countermeasure development and product testing, making pivotal contributions to disease prevention efforts for both Soldiers and the world.
The primary department at AFRIMS involved with this research is
Entomology.
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