World Health Day - Vector-borne diseases

​World Health Day 

World Health Day is a worldwide initiative celebrated every year on 7 April to mark the anniversary of the founding of WHO in 1948. Each year a theme is selected that highlights a priority area of public health.

 
ECDC's role

In 2014, ECDC joined the World Health Day initiative to raise awareness about its work on vector-borne diseases and disease vectors. Working in partnership with WHO and EFSA and drawing on its extensive work and expertise in the area, ECDC marked World Health Day 2014, with a focus on:

 

1) disease vectors;

 

2) emerging vector-borne diseases, i.e. ‘neglected / tropical diseases’, such as malaria, chikungunya, dengue.

Vector-borne diseases are a global public health threat. A number of factors, such as increased international travel and trade, as well as climate change, influence the public health threat to Europe posed by these diseases.

 

ECDC undertakes numerous surveillance activities to monitor the impact and spread of vector-borne diseases in Europe. Disease surveillance activities and vector distribution data collection are carried out in order to tackle the challenges posed to public health in Europe by vector-borne diseases.