University of Wisconsin–Madison

Welcome to the Midwest Center of Excellence for Vector Borne Disease

MCEVBD was established in 2017 as a cooperative agreement with the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention with the mission of preventing vector-borne disease in the Midwest.

We are a diverse group of researchers, public health experts, and vector control professionals who are working together to better understand and control mosquitoes, ticks, and the diseases they carry.

Women holding a tick drag examining for ticks in grassy forested area.

Current Research Projects

Learn more about our tick and mosquito projects

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Photo of a  man standing in tunnel with flashlight. Standing water in bottom of tunnel.

Urban storm drains

Evaluating the role of urban storm drain systems in mosquito breeding and developing potential mosquito control methods

Photo of young deer in grass

Deer-focused tick control

Developing a new way to bait wild deer in urban parks that could be used in the future to deliver tick control substances.

Photo of women with glasses on head holding plastic cup with mulch inside

Novel tick interventions

Testing new natural products for blacklegged tick control

Photo of women surrounded by tripods for media interview.

New pesticides for WNV

Evaluating new adulticides for West Nile virus control in Chicago

The Midwest Center of Excellence for Vector-Borne Disease is supported by Cooperative Agreement Number U01CK000651 from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to the University of Wisconsin-Madison, with academic partners at Michigan State University, Loyola University, University of Illinois- Urbana Champaign, Purdue University, University of Notre-Dame, and Indiana University.
Photo of mosquito larva on white background.