This report provides an overview of the organisation of surveillance and control of Cu/ex mosquitoes, as vectors of West Nile virus, and invasive Aedes mosquitoes in the EU/EEA countries, EU enlargement policy countries and the UK. It also summarises the needs identified to improve this by questionnaire respondents.
The questionnaire findings show that mosquito surveillance and control are implemented in many responding countries, but that their organisation, objectives, funding arrangements, legal frameworks and operational approaches vary considerably. For both Culex and invasive Aedes mosquitoes, activities are shaped by differences in national and sub-national responsibilities, available resources, technical capacity and perceived public or veterinary health priorities.
Across the responses, several recurring needs were identified by respondents. These included funding and human-resource capacity, training, coordination within and between countries, clarity of responsibilities, legal and regulatory arrangements, laboratory and field capacity, monitoring of insecticide or biocide resistance, and evidence to support the assessment of surveillance and control activities. Respondents also highlighted gaps in the evidence base, including the relationship between vector indicators and disease risk, the public health benefit of control measures, and the definition of measurable control targets.
Overall, the questionnaire findings indicate that mosquito surveillance and control in Europe are characterised by diverse national arrangements and different levels of capacity, while several common operational and evidence-related needs are shared across countries.