Global warming and changing ecological conditions, as well as trade and travel, influence the spread of arthropod vectors, creating favourable conditions for the vector-borne diseases in previously unaffected areas. Since the presence of competent vectors is a prerequisite for the transmission of strictly vector-borne diseases, knowledge about their distribution is of primordial importance for their prevention and control. After eight years of intense collaboration on VBD’s, through two consecutive inter-institutional framework contracts, ECDC and EFSA joined forces to support a third iteration of VectorNet.

Besides the well-known vector distribution maps and capacity building in the EU Member States on vector surveillance, one of the strongest pillars of Vectornet is the fostering One-Health Vectornet Entomological Network (OHVEN). The OHVEN is composed of ECDC’s Operational Contact Points (OCPs) for entomology and EFSA’s Network on Veterinary Entomology (NVE). The OCPs are nominated by ECDC National Coordinators and represent the entomologists working in the public health sector to combat VBD’s. The NVE members are appointed by EFSA and represent entomologists working in the veterinary health sector.

The OHVEN network works closely together with the Animal Health and Welfare network of EFSA, and more in particular, with the sub-group on One health surveillance. Vector surveillance data collected byt the One health surveillance subgroup in the EU member states are also validated by Vectornet and uploaded on the GBIF Vectornet Data portal.