NOTABLE PROJECTS IN TEXAS

Binational Border Infectious Disease Surveillance Program (BIDS)

In 1997, CDC, the Mexican Secretariat of Health, and border health officials began developing the Border Infectious Disease Surveillance project based on the need for strengthened surveillance to monitor the spread of infectious disease in the border region. Two years later, the Binational Border Infectious Disease Surveillance (BIDS) Program was established.

Distribution of Culex coronator in Texas

The results a study updating the distribution of Culex coronator in Texas was published in the Journal of the American Mosquito Control Association in April 2019. 

TAMU Hamer Lab: Evaluation of mosquito control intervention campaigns

We are evaluating the success of several forms of mosquito control intervention.  Our research team is conducting the randomized control trials for the Autocidal Gravid Ovitrap (AGO) in the Lower Rio Grande Valley as well as Autodissemination Stations using pyriproxyfen.  We are also partnering with multiple local agencies to evaluate efficacy of additional intervention activities that are actively being used in Texas.  We will be using mosquito outcome variables and possibly human outcome variables depending on arbovirus transmission activity during these studies.

Western Gulf Center of Excellence for Vector-Borne Diseases

The mission of the Western Gulf Center of Excellence for Vector-Borne Diseases is to enhance the capacity to anticipate, prevent, and control vector-borne diseases (VBD). Our team is comprised of recognized experts in vector-borne diseases, vector biology and control, epidemiology, and ecology, and is boosted by strong partnerships with state and local public health organizations. As evidenced by the recent arrival of Zika virus, the United States is not adequately prepared to accurately anticipate, prepare for, and respond to emerging VBD. This is a consequence of multiple elements, such as an incomplete understanding of the factors that regulate VBD emergence, importation, and establishment, inconsistent and imprecise methods for vector and VBD surveillance, diminished surveillance capacity due to a chronic lack of investment in new generations of public health scientists, and increasing vector control challenges due to insecticide resistance and intrinsic difficulties related to the ecology and behavior of critical species, especially Aedes aegypti.