£3.75m programme targets rising UK mosquito and midge disease risks
A £3.75 million research programme led by the University of Glasgow will investigate how environmental change could alter the risk of mosquito and midge-borne diseases across the UK.
The four-year PAMEC programme, funded by UKRI as part of a £20 million interdisciplinary research fund targeting epidemic threats, will combine laboratory and field research to identify emerging risks and improve national preparedness.
Led by Professor Heather Ferguson, professor of medical entomology and infectious disease ecology at Glasgow, and Dr Emilie Pondeville of the MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research, the programme builds on the UKRI-funded Mosquito Scotland project, which provided a comprehensive assessment of mosquito and mosquito-borne disease risks in Scotland.
The need for better surveillance has become increasingly apparent. Mosquito Scotland researchers supported the Scottish Government's response to the first detection of Usutu virus in Scotland in 2025, while Bluetongue virus was detected in Scotland for the first time in September 2026. The mosquito Aedes aegypti, capable of transmitting dengue and other arboviruses, was also recently detected in east London.
The new programme will examine the ecology of mosquito and midge populations, their ability to carry established and emerging pathogens, and how environmental change may alter these risks. Researchers will also investigate factors affecting human and animal exposure and assess potential mitigation measures.
Biological, environmental and sociological data will ultimately be integrated into statistical and mathematical models to improve predictions of disease risk and inform response strategies.
The project brings together the University of Glasgow, UK Health Security Agency, UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology and SRUC, alongside partners including Public Health Scotland, the Animal and Plant Health Agency, The Pirbright Institute and Queen's University Belfast.
Dr Pondeville said the programme would combine laboratory and field data to develop models that could improve understanding of current and future risks and how best to prepare for emerging vector-borne diseases.
The research will also involve citizen scientists, farmers and other communities potentially exposed to mosquito and midge-borne disease, with the aim of translating the findings into practical approaches to reducing risk.
Pic: Martin Shields/University of Glasgow
Related Content
When seeing is no longer believing
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is polluting the world of science. Online teaching and reference resources are suddenly being populated by images …
AI imaging platform targets rare cellular events
Researchers in Scotland are set to gain access to an AI-powered imaging platform designed to identify rare cellular events among …
MDC invests £1m in biotech approaches to autoimmune and neurodegenerative disease
Two UK biotechs developing new approaches to chronic autoimmune and neurodegenerative diseases have each secured £500,000 from the Medicines Discovery …
