Vector borne diseases encompass a variety of illnesses that are caused via the spread of pathogens by living organisms known as vectors. These infectious diseases can be transmitted via vectors among humans (e.g., malaria, dengue), among animals (e.g., African swine fever, East Coast fever), or from animals to humans (e.g., Nipah virus disease). Many of these vectors are bloodsucking insects, and mosquitoes are the bestknown disease vector. Other vectors include ticks, flies, sandflies, fleas, triatomine bugs and some species of freshwater aquatic snails (adapted from OIE, 2019; WHO, 2020).

Polio (human) is a highly infectious viral disease which mainly affects young children (WHO, 2019).

Cholera is an acute diarrhoeal infection caused by ingestion of food or water contaminated with the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. Cholera remains a global threat to public health (WHO, 2019).

Monkeypox is a viral zoonotic disease that has symptoms similar to those of smallpox (WHO, 2019).

Cysticercosis is a preventable intestinal infection in humans and animals caused by the tapeworm Taenia solium (pork tapeworm). Human cysticercosisi can result in devastating effects on human health resulting in neurocysticercosis with blindness, convulsions, and epileptic seizures, and can be fatal. It is estimated to affect between 2.56 and 8.30 million people, based on the range of epilepsy prevalence data available (adapted from WHO, 2020).

Newcastle disease is an infectious disease of birds caused by Newcastle disease virus, of the Paramyxovirdae family. The disease is seen mainly in chickens, but many bird species and even reptiles and mammals are susceptible to infection (OIE, 2018).

Viral haemorrhagic fever is a general term for severe illnesses, sometimes associated with bleeding, that may be caused by a number of viruses. The term is usually applied to diseases caused by viruses that belong to the Arenaviridae, Bunyaviridae, Filoviridae and Flaviviridae families (WHO, no date).

Smallpox is an acute contagious disease caused by the variola virus (WHO, 2019).

Cryptosporidium is a microscopic parasite that causes the watery diarrhoeal disease cryptosporidiosis (WHO, 2013).

Rabies is a vaccine preventable zoonotic disease causing acute encephalitis which can progress towards coma and death typically within 7 to 10 days of the first signs if no intensive care is instituted. It is a disease of public health concern (adapted from WHO, 2018, 2020).