Arboviruses exert an increasing pressure on health globally. An estimated 4 billion people are at risk for infections by viruses transmitted by Aedes spp. mosquitoes like dengue virus (DENV), chikungunya virus (CHIKV) and Zika virus (ZIKV).

The geographical range of these viruses is expected to continue to expand, driven by rapid urbanisation, climate change and globalisation in travel and trade. Local transmission of these originally (sub)tropical viruses is being reported increasingly in the EU European Union (European Union )(European Union ) from areas with established Aedes albopictus populations. Culex spp.-borne West Nile virus (WNV) has been endemic for many decades in Central and Southern European countries, but in recent years autochthonous cases have been confirmed as north as Germany and the Netherlands. Furthermore, viruses transmitted by ticks such as tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) and Crimean Congo haemorrhagic fever virus (CCHFV) are emerging and expanding their geographic range in Europe while in southern Europe, diseases caused by viruses transmitted by sandflies are thought to be underdiagnosed.

The EURL supports the EU in health laboratory systems strengthening for arbovirus detection and characterisation.