The Gulf South VECTOR project is a multi-year initiative dedicated to strengthening vector-borne disease (VBD) prevention across the Gulf Coast. In its first two years, the project conducted a comprehensive needs assessment across five states, trained over 33,200 professionals and 6,500 students, and established working groups to identify gaps in vector control services and education.
A Regional Initiative to Strengthen VBD Preparedness
Claudia Riegel, Director of the City of New Orleans Mosquito, Termite, and Rodent Control Board for the City of New Orleans, and Janet Hurley, Senior Extension Program Specialist at Texas A&M AgriLife are Co-Principal Investigators for the Vector Outreach project.
Mosquito, Termite & Rodent Control Board
City of New Orleans
Senior Extension Program Specialist - IPM
Texas A&M AgriLife
Standardized, Multilingual Training for Diverse Workforces
The initiative offers a four-tiered training system – awareness, beginner, intermediate, and expert – that provides standardized, multilingual educational content to pest management teams, public health workers, veterinary professionals, and college students at all experience levels. Training is available both in-person and virtually through regional hubs, ensuring accessibility for diverse communities. Academic partners integrated modules into public health curricula, while trainees gained hands-on experience and exposure to real-world challenges.
Gulf South VECTOR also launched surveys to map existing VBD capacity and created a regional database of training resources to support a unified response.
Building Lasting Capacity: Assessments, Databases,
and Partnerships
The initiative is building a resilient workforce equipped to address emerging threats such as West Nile virus, dengue, and murine typhus by fostering collaboration among the public health, pest management, and academic sectors. With a strong focus on sustainability, the project builds the groundwork for long-term partnerships, data-sharing platforms, and expanded educational infrastructure to support Gulf Coast communities.
Explore the Gulf South VECTOR website to learn more and get involved.
