Epidemiology and Laboratory Capacity (ELC) Funding for Vector-Borne Diseases

CDC’s Epidemiology and Laboratory Capacity (ELC) cooperative agreement awards annual funding to state, local, and territorial health departments to:

• improve laboratory capacity to support vector-borne disease surveillance,
• improve completeness and timeliness of vector-borne disease surveillance reporting,
• improve ecologic surveillance,
• increase availability of timely and accurate information on vector-borne disease risk and prevention,
• identify faster and more completely vector-borne disease outbreaks,
• better prepare the workforce to identify, diagnose, report, prevent, and respond to vector-borne disease cases and outbreaks.

Through ELC, CDC’s Division of Vector-Borne Diseases provides funding and technical assistance to implement and maintain surveillance for human disease and their vectors, improve diagnostics, and to implement and evaluate prevention strategies. ELC vector-borne recipients are encouraged to build wide-ranging vector-borne disease programs focused on locally relevant pathogens and vectors in their jurisdictions. Core activities include active human surveillance, investigation and response to vector-borne disease cases, educational outreach, laboratory testing, hiring or training of personnel and vector surveillance and control.