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Center for Vector-Borne Zoonotic and Emerging Diseases College of Sciences

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Christopher Vitek
Center Director
Department of Biology
ESCNE 4.616
Email: cvbd@utrgv.edu
Phone: (956) 665-7170

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The Newsroom

Four things to know about malaria cases in the United States

June 30, 2023 - ScienceNews- The risk of local transmission in the United States remains extremey low.

Tick-borne illnesses kill 15 in Juares

October 11, 2022 KURV The Drive Home with Davis Rankin and Zak Cantu

Funding cut for UTRGV mosquito testing program

October 3, 2022 - It may take longer to find out whether Valley mosquitoes are carrying diseases like West Nile and Zike. (click here for pdf copy)

CVBD hosts a community seminar on mosquitos prevention

September 29, 2021 - With rain in the forecast for some parts of the Valley, residents are bracing themselves for an increase in pesky mosquitos.

UTRGV Center for Vector-Borne Disease to host community seminar on prevention, safety

Friday, September 10, 2021 - Rio Grande Valley, Texas - UTRGV's Center for Vector-Borne Disease is taking charge of the wet months that generate an explosion in the mosquito population in the Rio Grande Valley and the diseases they bring, using community outreach and education.

Experts share tips to control and avoid mosquitoes

Monday, July 19, 2021 - Rain in the forecast this week could lead to more mosquitos, and while it may be hard to get rid of them, there are some things you can do to keep them under control

Feeling the pinch: Mosquito Season

Sunday, June 27, 2021 - Have you stepped outdoors only to be immediately greeted by a mosquito? UTRGV's Dr. Christopher Vitek explains why it seems there's more of these pests around and why it's important to avoid certain colored clothing outdoors.

 Frisky Spiders: Tarantula sightings increase in the RGV

 Wednesday, Jun 23, 2021 - Harlingen, Texas (KVEO)  - What has eight legs and a need for love? Numerous tarantulas have made their appearance in parts of the Rio Grande Valley.                                                              

It's  real bad: City works to fight mosquito surge

  Friday, June 11, 2021 - Jose Lopez repairs septic tanks and says with all the recent rainfall he's been called several times to remove standing floodwater.

Behind the bite: How Hidalgo County is combating mosquito infestations

  Thursday, June 10, 2021 - The warmer months often bring rains and rising temperatures which create the perfect breeding grounds for mosquitoes to thrive in stagnant waters, especially in a subtropical climate such as the Rio Grande Valley.

UT Health RGV Clinical Lab working on COVID-19 screenings, testing

   Thursday, April 9, 2020 - RIO GRANDE VALLEY, TEXAS – The UT Health RGV Clinical Lab, also known as the UTRGV Center for Vector-Borne Disease, is playing a key role in the Valley’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

UTRGV graduate students assisting in coronavirus tests

   Tuesday, April 7, 2020 - EDINBURG - UTRGV's COVID-19 testing sites were available to the public just last week, originally testing only 60 patients a day and having an influx of 35,000 calls.

UTRGV students, scientists face potential 'avalanche' of COVID-19 tests (link no longer active)

   Tuesday, April 7, 2020 - EDINBURG, If you're tested for the coronavirus in the Rio Grande Valley in the foreseeable future, there's a very strong chance your sample will make its way to the lab at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley's Edinburg campus, where 18-odd students and virologist Dr. John Thomas have processed hundreds of samples in the past week and plan to process thousands more very soon.

UTRGV Center for Vector-Borne Disease shifts work to COVID-19 screenings, testing

 Monday, April 6, 2020 - The UTRGV Center for Vector-Borne Disease is playing a key role in the Valley's response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

UTRGV hosts progress meeting to deliver updates on efforts to combat vector-borne diseases

  Friday, June 21, 2019 - UTRGV kicked off the third annual progress meeting for the Western Gulf Center of Excellence for Vector-Borne Diseases, June 20 on the Edinburg Campus.

UTRGV partners with TAMU, UTMB for course in outbreak investigation

  Wednesday, June 05, 2019 - Students from three universities, including UTRGV, traveled across Texas to get field experience in outbreak investigation and learn about the One Health initiative, as part of a cooperative course between UTRGV, Texas A&M University and The ...

UTRGV faculty and students at forefront of Zika research

  Thursday, July 19, 2018 — In the aftermath of recent flooding in South Texas, the Rio Grande Valley is facing major public health concerns with a growing mosquito population, which can lead to a potential outbreak of certain vector-borne diseases like the West Nile and ...

UTRGV researchers update local lawmaker on current Zika research and findings (link no longer active)

   Wednesday, July 18, 2018 - EDINBURG - Keeping count of mosquito eggs, tracking larvae stages, testing results of commonly used pesticides and collecting data on the effects of a virus such as Zika on living creatures, among other tasks, has students and professors busy at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. 

UTRGV opens Center for Vector-Borne Disease to address illnesses spread by insects

 Tuesday, April 10, 2018 — The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley is now home to the UTRGV Center for Vector-Borne Disease (CVBD), a collaborative effort to develop a self-sustaining, research-focused center in South Texas.

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