Editorial: Digital tools and innovation for the prevention and control of vector-borne diseases

Vector-borne diseases are a group of heterogeneous diseases and a major threat to the health of over three-quarters of the human population who inhabit at-risk areas. Many of those infections are also considered neglected tropical diseases, which, as their name suggests, do not receive the necessary attention or resources to be controlled, thus affecting with disproportional force the most vulnerable communities in tropical and subtropical regions.

Current trends suggest that driving factors such as climate change, human mobility, and social determinants will likely enable the increase of disease burden in the future, resulting in additional stress for healthcare systems in endemic regions for vector-borne diseases. The lessons learned in the last pandemic advocate for preparedness and adaptation as the best options to face present and future public health risks and threats.

As a contribution to this goal, we present here a collection of notable contributions to innovations in the prevention and control of vector-borne diseases. Focused mostly on the surveillance of diseases such as dengue, leishmaniasis, and malaria and their vectors, all five manuscripts in this Research Topic share a common vision that surveillance must be improved to keep up with the current times, maintaining its usefulness as a main pillar of public health.