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Vector-Borne Disease National Strategy








  
  
    

  
      





Read the National Public Health Strategy to Prevent and Control Vector-Borne Diseases in People

Imagine a “**nation where vector-borne diseases no longer threaten the  health of people**.” That’s the vision of the National Public Health Strategy to Prevent and Control Vector-Borne Diseases (VBD) in People, also called the VBD National Strategyas directed by the Kay Hagan Tick Act. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services  Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention co-lead the development of the National Strategy, building upon the interagency 2020 Vector-Borne Disease National Public Health Framework published by CDC.

**The Problem**
Americans are at an increasing risk of vector-borne diseases, and the United States is not sufficiently prepared to respond to these threats.

**A Coordinated Approach**
To address the growing threat to public health, OASH and CDC are co-leading an interagency effort with more than 15 civilian agencies and the Department of Defense to produce the VBD National Strategy. As mandated by the Kay Hagan Tick Act and in consultation with the now sunset Tick-Borne Disease Working Group (TBDWG), hundreds of external partners have been engaged with over 50 active participants from federal agencies contributing to this report. The VBD National Strategy will

Identify gaps and unnecessary duplication in federally funded programs;
	Define strategic goals to address vector-borne diseases; and
	Set benchmarks to measure progress toward achieving such goals**Recent Progress**
Since the Kay Hagan Tick Act was signed into law in 2019 as part of the FY 2020 Further Consolidated Appropriations Act - PDF, OASH and CDC have delivered VBD National Strategy updates at TBDWG public meetings, federal workshops, federal breakout group sessions, conference presentations, public webinars, tribal listening sessions, and two requests for information (RFIs) in the Federal Register for public input. The resulting VBD National Strategy advances many of the 72 TBDWG recommendations with a focus on implementation and agency accountability to deliver

Five goals
	Nineteen strategies
	Forty-three objectives
	One-hundred-and-twenty-four sub-objectives.**Vision:**A nation where VBDs no longer threaten the health of people.

**Mission:**Protect people from illness, suffering, and death due to VBDs.

**Goals**

Goal 1: Better understand when, where, and how people are exposed to and get sick or die from VBDs;
Goal 2: Develop, evaluate, and improve tools, methods, and guidance to diagnose VBDs and their pathogens;
Goal 3: Develop, evaluate, and improve tools, methods, and guidance to prevent and control VBDs;
Goal 4: Develop and assess drugs and treatment strategies for VBDs; and
Goal 5: Disseminate and implement public health tools, programs, and collaborations to prevent, detect, diagnose, and respond to VBD threats.

**Working Together**
To successfully prevent and control vector-borne diseases in people, a multidisciplinary set of partners from all sectors must be engaged

Implementation success of the VBD National Strategy requires all of us. The federal government in collaboration with other groups will most effectively and efficiently address the complex challenges presented by vector-borne diseases. For example, to accelerate progress together, HHS launched its Lyme Innovation initiative including the LymeX public-private partnership  to advance the National Strategy’s Goal 2 for improved diagnostics and Goal 5 for information distribution and collaboration.

Across government, dozens of federal programs and offices are implementing VBD National Strategy goals. The next phase of federal effort for vector-borne diseases will focus on implementation actions. Both OASH and CDC will publish the VBD National Strategy and subsequent versions on their websites.

**Resources**

**VBD National Strategy 2024**. National Public Health Strategy to Prevent and Control Vector-Borne Diseases in People. HHS and CDC. Published 02/06/2024. A strategy outlining a whole-of-government approach to address VBD threats.
	**VBD National Strategy RFI 2022**. Input on the National Public Health Strategy for the Prevention and Control of Vector-Borne Diseases in Humans: Request for Information (RFI). Federal Register notice by HHS. Published 11/21/2022. Comments closed 12/21/2022.
	**VBD National Strategy RFI 2021**. Request for Information (RFI): Developing the National Public Health Strategy for the Prevention and Control of Vector-Borne Diseases in Humans. Federal Register notice by HHS. Published 04/27/2021. Comments closed 6/11/2021.
	**VBD National Framework 2020**. National Public Health Framework for the Prevention and Control of Vector-Borne Diseases in Humans. CDC. Published 09/28/2020. -****Lays a foundation for developing and executing a full VBD National Strategy that details the activities needed to accomplish the articulated goals.**News and Events**

February 1, 2024. HHS Releases the National Public Health Strategy to Prevent and Control Vector-Borne Diseases in People. HHS.gov/news.

June 29 - 30, 2023. Toward a Common Research Agenda in Infection-Associated Chronic Illnesses: A Workshop to Examine Common, Overlapping Clinical and Biological Factors

March 29, 2023. Public Webinar with Update on the Development of the National Public Health Strategy for the Prevention and Control of Vector-Borne Diseases. Virtual event, hosted by CDC.

December 13, 2022. Draft National Strategy for Vector-Borne Diseases: We Want to Hear from You. HHS.gov/blog.

December 9, 2022. Vector-Borne Disease National Strategy Request for Information (RFI) Tribal Listening and Engagement Session. Virtual event, hosted by CDC.

October 4, 2022. Tick-Borne Disease Working Group Public Meeting presentation by the National Strategy Co-Chairs, Developing the Nation’s First National Strategy for Vector-Borne Disease Prevention and Control in Humans.

August 26, 2021. Tick-Borne Disease Working Group Public Meeting presentation by the National Strategy Co-Chairs, National Strategy for Vector-Borne Diseases and LymeX Innovation Updates.

**Upcoming News and Events**

2024 LymeMIND Annual Conference with an HHS session, including National Strategy updates. Hybrid event in New York, NY, and virtual.

**Additional Information**

Questions? Please email vectorbornedisease@hhs.gov

                    
  


Content created by Assistant Secretary for Health (ASH) Content last reviewed February 6, 2024Back to top
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