Biosecurity Capacity Development in Armenia: Mammals as Disease Vectors

The risks and threats of infectious diseases from natural / human events as well as from climate change are significantly increasing risk for Armenia. Poorly coordinated biosurveillance and disease control strategies in the region compromise force health protection for people. Creating maps of hotspots based on the Zoonotic Disease Risk Index, as well as identifying underlying disease mechanisms, will help to improve control of long-term infectious disease monitoring programs. The aim of the project is to analyze the risks of diseases circulating in wildlife, as well as the presence and prevalence of pathogens, their vectors (wild mammal species). Using species distribution modeling և PCR methods, we will analyze infectious disease risk factors. We will create a database of mammalian pathogens. The distribution of the mammals, which are the hosts of the pathogens, will be modeled. Based on the received data, the target points of spatial variations of zoonotic infectious diseases in Armenia will be mapped.