Schoolhouse Rock made the process seem simple: Reactive vector-borne disease policy in the US creates opportunities for improvement

Policy creation in the United States is a dynamic process of introduction, revision, and outcome that ultimately results in only 5% (2-7%) of bills ever becoming law.  Even when a law is passed that authorizes a program, follow-up legislation must be passed to appropriate sufficient funds to allow the program to operate.  A recent investigation into federal funding granted between 2008-2020 designated for programs related to vector-borne disease in the United States revealed funding increases following emerging/re-emerging vector-borne disease and decreases once the threat becomes endemic or subsides. The pattern of ebbing and flowing and the reactive, rather than proactive, nature of federal funding leaves the United States vulnerable to future vector-borne disease outbreaks by not being sufficiently prepared to stop initial cases from spreading. Despite this trend, progress has been made recently to take a proactive approach to mitigating vector-borne disease threats as evidenced by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Vector-Borne Disease Regional Centers of Excellence and the mandate in the Kay Hagan Tick Act of 2019 to create a national strategy to combat tick-borne illness. Unfortunately, several recent needs assessments of vector control programs at the national, regional, and state levels still show gaps in capabilities that could be ameliorated with consistent funding. New vector-borne disease threats will emerge in the future, and only through taking a proactive approach and filling in the gaps of our current vector control programs will the US be prepared to stop the next threat.