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The European Union is an important player in the fight against vector-borne diseases, the main theme of this year's 'World Health Day' which will be celebrated on 7 April. 

Vectors are small organisms such as mosquitoes, bugs, ticks and freshwater snails that can transmit disease from one person to another. More than half of the world's population is at risk from these diseases! Yet, through simple preventive measures, such as vaccination, we can protect ourselves and our families.

EU support for vector-borne diseases research comes in number of ways. The funding of international collaborative research projects through the FP7 (2007-13) and Horizon 2020 (2014-20) framework programmes is a key element, as shown in the examples below. The European Research Council (ERC) is also financing a number of projects related to vector-borne diseases. In addition, the 'European and Developing Countries' Clinical Trials Partnership' (EDCTP) - a big player in malaria research – will be extended later this year.

EU health research on dengue – some examples

The world's fastest growing vector-borne disease is dengue, a mosquito-transmitted disease with a 30-fold increase in incidence over the last 50 years. 40 per cent of the world's population is now at risk from dengue and WHO currently estimates there may be 50–100 million infections worldwide every year. According to a report by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, 610 cases of dengue fever were notified by 14 of 23 reporting EU/EEA countries in 2011 - much lower than 2010 but comparable to the number of 2009. A major dengue outbreak with more than 2000 reported cases started in October 2012 in Madeira, fortunately without severe cases or deaths.

By funding the following international research projects the EU helps to better understand the disease and the virus which causes it. This research is expected to result in new tools to keep dengue disease under control but also in global maps to show, and hence work against, the risk of dengue spreading to previously uninfected areas.

DENFREE aims to identify the key factors determining dengue transmission, infection outcome and epidemics, and to develop novel diagnostic tools to detect asymptomatic infections. The project shed new light on how subclinical infections - where the person does not feel the need to consult a clinician – contribute to the spread of the disease. It proposes a new slow-release system for insecticides which is simple to use and provides total protection against bites for 3 weeks.

DengueTools concentrates on better dengue diagnosis, surveillance, and the potential for dengue emergence in Europe in the context of climate change. The study improves our understanding of the epidemic potential of dengue, informs new models based on weather/climate data, and helps factor climate changes into surveillance and control. The DengueTools team is also developing novel tools for the surveillance of dengue and for the control of dengue in children.

IDAMS is currently working on the validation of important clinical signs and symptoms of dengue, and the evaluation of virological and immunological markers. The research team has updated global risk maps and burden estimates for dengue, and it has produced maps of the history of spread of each of the four dengue viruses. Finally, a new technical handbook with local dengue surveillance protocols for timely outbreak detection is currently in the works.

Examples of EU-supported malaria research

Malaria is the vector-borne disease responsible for most deaths worldwide. It killed some 627,000 people in 2012, roughly one person every minute. There are more than 200 million new cases every year, most of them in children and pregnant women in developing countries.

For instance, NANOMAL is developing a pioneering smartphone-like device that uses cutting-edge nanotechnology to detect not only the malaria infection but also any drug resistance from a pinprick of blood (IP/13/362).

Special emphasis is also given to malaria transmission control. A complementary set of projects works on new ways of preventing mosquito reproduction and the development of the malaria parasite:

One example is MALVECBLOK which revealed the molecular events involved in reproduction and immunity of mosquitoes and identified environmental factors that may influence disease spread. Taken together, the project findings provide new concepts for innovative vector measures to control malaria transmission.

Another project, ANOPOPAGE investigated a malaria control strategy using Wolbachia bacteria, paving theway for future investigations into malaria epidemiology in Africa and into other Plasmodium-inhibiting bacteria that could be introduced into Anopheles mosquitoes.

Completing these efforts, AVECNET was a collaborative initiative between African and European researchers that is developing and testing new methods for malaria control, such as novel insecticide treated bed nets.

The AnoRep project seeks to better understand mosquito biology, and reduce the incidence of malaria. Specifically, it is looking at how mosquitoes reproduce. This is a question of fundamental biology, but it also has wide implications for disease control. If we can understand more about mosquitoes' fertility, we can intervene to reduce it. By developing ways to curb mosquitoes' success in reproducing, ERC Starting Grant holder Prof. Flaminia Catteruccia and her team hope to provide innovative contributions to the fight against malaria.

Finally, the European Union's 'European and Developing Countries' Clinical Trials Partnership' (EDCTP) initiative has so far invested €50 million for malaria research, including 32 clinical trials on improved treatments and new vaccine candidates. Many of these trials help adapt existing malaria therapies and drugs to particularly vulnerable groups. For example, the Severe Malaria in Children network (SMAC) showed that three doses over two days of the drug artesunate are as effective as five doses over three days. This alternative regimen would lower the risk of incomplete treatment by the improved efficiency and reduce the cost of administering the treatment. The European Parliament is due to vote April 15 on a proposal to extend EDCTP funding under Horizon 2020.

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