Prioritization of zoonoses for health professional knowledge building in Canada

Given the increasing incidence of zoonoses in Canada and globally and the public health implications of these diseases, it is important to build knowledge among human health professionals in Canada on these diseases. To maximize impact in a resource-limited environment, it is critical to identify high priority diseases using an evidence-based approach. This work prioritized non-enteric zoonoses of greatest importance to health professionals in Canada for knowledge building.

A multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) approach was used. The following steps were applied: (1) identified diseases for prioritization; (2) identified criteria by which to assess diseases; (3) scored diseases against criteria; (4) developed an MCDA tool; (5) weighted criteria according to relative importance; (6) ranked diseases based on relative scores.

Fifty-two zoonoses were identified and scored across 11 criteria (572 individual scores). The diseases that ranked in the top third reflected a broad range of domestic and international zoonoses, but held no single common distinguishing factor that would have easily identified them without this approach.

No single criterion correlates to a higher priority for any disease, and a wide range of factors impact the rankings. To address the gaps and priorities identified through this work, a system-wide approach to addressing zoonoses through knowledge building is needed.