Dr. Johan Neyts, Professor at the University of Leuven, Belgium. 1. What are arboviruses and why are they such a public health concern? . Arboviruses (arthropod-borne viruses) infect people and animals through the bite of infected vectors. They are typically either flaviviruses, alphaviruses, or bunyaviruses; examples of arboviral diseases include yellow fever, dengue, West Nile, Zika, Chikungunya, and Rift Valley fever (which are all transmitted by mosquitoes), and tick-borne ...