August 8, 2025
Climate change affects our natural surroundings and increases the spread of zoonotic infectious diseases (ZIDs), which are diseases that can pass between animals and humans, like Lyme disease and rabies. ZIDs can spread quickly and unexpectedly, and can pose challenges to health care systems around the world, including in Canada. To understand how best to equip health professionals to recognize and manage ZIDs, the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) studied health professionals’ knowledge, attitudes, opinions, and perceptions of these diseases.
Four health professionals standing in a workplace
This work provided insight into how health professionals:
- access information;
- stay up to date; and
- manage ZIDs in their practice.
The study explored the relationship between health professionals’ levels of experience, where they work, their scope of practice, how confident they feel, and their capacity to manage ZIDs.
Key Findings
Encounters and confidence
- Health professionals who reported more frequent encounters with ZIDs also expressed higher confidence in their ability to manage them. But it is unclear if experience builds confidence, or if confidence leads to better recognition and reporting.
ZIDs do not rank high amid competing priorities
- Despite estimates that zoonotic diseases make up 60% of known infectious diseases in humans and 75% of all emerging infectious diseases, health professionals generally do not prioritize these diseases in their professional development due to heavy workloads and competing professional development priorities. This contributes to lower levels of confidence and potentially to under-recognition of ZID cases.
Staying informed is a challenge
- Most health professionals reported having difficulties staying up to date with the latest information on ZIDs. Many also found it difficult to access relevant, context-specific information. For example, 54% of health professionals working in rural areas reported difficulties finding relevant resources tailored to their specific context. Making targeted resources more available could significantly enhance health professionals’ ZID preparedness and response capacities, as well as contribute to effective overall disease management.
Tailoring Support for Health Professionals
PHAC’s work helps refine understanding of how prepared health professionals in Canada may be to manage ZIDs. Importantly, it highlights that resource development and dissemination should consider health professionals’ perspectives and information needs, to ensure they have what they need to deliver optimal care.
"By circulating these key findings broadly, PHAC aims to reach stakeholders that could address this knowledge gap using methods that health professionals have indicated are better aligned with their needs."
One example of how PHAC is addressing these findings is by funding a national zoonoses awareness strategy with the Prairie Climate Centre, to increase health professionals’ knowledge of ZIDs.
- For more information on the Prairie Climate Centre’s project, please contact: Christiane Allen - c.allen@uwinnipeg.ca
PHAC is also using the findings to inform zoonoses resource development. Recently PHAC funded a project by the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada (SOGC) to develop new evidence-based resources on Oropouche virus, an emerging zoonotic disease spread by biting midges. These resources provide important information to health professionals caring for pregnant patients. See links below:
- SOGC Position Statement: The Prevention and Management of Oropouche Viral Disease in Pregnancy
- Webinar – Oropouche in pregnancy
- Insect-Transmitted Infections During Pregnancy – Pregnancy Info
- Oropouche Infographic
For more information on the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada’s project, please contact: Dr. Jocelynn Cook - research@sogc.com
By shedding light on the knowledge and needs of Canada’s health professionals, the study is helping lay the groundwork for strengthening the country’s preparedness for emerging zoonotic threats.
Find out more about the study findings and recommendations by reading the full report: