22Oct 25
Mosquito-borne diseases continue to threaten millions of people worldwide, particularly on the African continent. Efforts to fight these diseases are complicated by a lack of comprehensive, long-term and high-quality datasets on mosquitoes. Without these data, researchers are limited in their understanding of how mosquito-borne diseases are transmitted, how factors such as climate change affect mosquito populations, and whether mosquito control interventions are having the desired impact.
Anopheles gambiae mosquito – one of the main vectors of malaria in Sub-Saharan Africa. Photograph: Dr. Joachim Pelican, Swiss TPH
To bridge this gap, the University of Glasgow, in close partnership with leading research institutes across Africa and Europe, including the Ifakara Health Institute (IHI), has launched VectorGrid-Africa, the first interconnected observatory network for mosquitoes and mosquito-borne diseases in Africa1.
The initial phase of this observatory is supported by a five-year European Union grant, initially focusing on five countries in East and Southern Africa: Tanzania, Kenya, Mozambique, South Africa and Madagascar.
This initiative will create the first-ever large-scale, open-access, high-quality dataset on mosquitoes, their pathogens, and changes in their populations over time. The system will identify invasive species, monitor genetic mutations associated with insecticide resistance, and track the impact of climate change, deforestation, and urbanization on disease transmission. By adopting a One Health approach, the observatory will examine the interactions between humans, animals, and mosquitoes, allowing for more precise disease prediction and prevention.
El World Health Organization emphasizes that disease surveillance is a core intervention against mosquito-borne diseases. Yet most low-income countries have so far lacked the resources to build such systems. To ensure long-term sustainability, the VectorGrid-Africa Network will be managed by local African institutions. African scientists will be trained to carry out advanced mosquito and genomic analyses directly on site, avoiding the need to send any samples abroad.
I am proud to be working alongside African and European colleagues on this ambitious initiative. By combining cutting-edge science with local expertise and leadership, we aim to provide the necessary groundwork to anticipate and prevent outbreaks, develop strategies tailored to each region, while empowering African scientists to drive solutions to advance the fight against mosquito-borne diseases.
- Other key partners include: Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI), University of Nairobi and Technical University of Kenya, University of the Witwatersrand, Institut Pasteur de Madagascar, the University of Edwardo Mondlane and Manhica Health Research Centre, and the Wellcome Sanger Institute ↩︎
