Midwest Center of Excellence in Vector-Borne Diseases (VBD)
Location: University of Wisconsin-Madison
Funded through December 2021
Key VBD Issues

Midwest COE student trainees display a mosquito trap.
- Lyme disease and other tickborne diseases
- West Nile virus disease (WNV)
- Emerging VBDs: Jamestown Canyon, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, Eastern equine encephalitis
- Range expansion of Aedes albopictus mosquito, which can spread dengue, chikungunya, and other germs
By the Numbers
- 450 public health professionals trained on VBD surveillance and control
- 66 undergraduates and young professionals completed hands-on, long-term training in public health and vector control organizations in five states
- 39 certificates in Public Health Entomology awarded to students and young professionals
Regional Resources

Midwest COE student trainee performs a tick drag in a backyard.
- Vector Records Repository houses surveillance and pathogen testing data for the region.
- The Tick App, a mobile technology, pinpoints places of tick exposure and identifies ticks.
- Digital channels connect VBD partners across the Midwest.
- 2,800 Midwest residents participated in a multi-state survey to better understand knowledge and behavior related to ticks and tickborne diseases.
- Mosquito control professionals learned how to perform insecticide resistance testing.
Research
- Searching for, and finding in 99 new counties, blacklegged ticks to document the change in their geographic spread
- Developing new repellents and insecticides for homeowners to use for tick control in their yards
- Establishing overall behaviors and lawn care practices for tick control by homeowners
- Improving mosquito control for WNV prevention
- Developing models to predict WNV outbreaks
Major Collaborators
- Five academic institutions: University of Wisconsin- Madison, Iowa State University, Loyola University, University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign, and Michigan State University
- Seven state health departments in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Ohio, and Indiana
- Six mosquito control districts: Northwest Mosquito Control, North Shore Mosquito Control, Metropolitan Mosquito Control, Macon Mosquito Control, Toledo Area Sanitary District, and Saginaw County Mosquito Control
For More Information
Page last reviewed: May 18, 2021