Rationale

Blood-feeding arthropods such as mosquitoes, ticks and sand flies are of public health concern due to their ability to transmit a variety of pathogens, including viruses, bacteria, protozoa and nematodes. Climate change, international trades and travels and urbanization have contributed to the spread of vectors and the pathogens they transmit to new territories. For instance, Aedes invasive mosquitoes have established in large areas of Europe and caused autochthonous transmission of exotic arboviruses such as Chinkungunya and Dengue, and Italy 3 epidemics with hundreds human cases. This symposium aims to provide an update on the current knowledge on invasive arthropod vectors and associated disease transmission risk in Europe, as well as on novel approaches for their monitoring and control. The potential of the Mediterranean area to become a crucial spot for the emergence of vector-borne diseases in Europe will also be addressed.