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A Survey of Canadian Public Health Personnel Regarding Knowledge, Practice and Education of Zoonotic Diseases
Author(s) -
Snedeker K. G.,
Anderson M. E. C.,
Sargeant J. M.,
Weese J. S.
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
zoonoses and public health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.87
H-Index - 65
eISSN - 1863-2378
pISSN - 1863-1959
DOI - 10.1111/zph.12029
Subject(s) - public health , transmission (telecommunications) , zoonotic disease , environmental health , zoonosis , rabies , medicine , one health , veterinary public health , veterinary medicine , disease , nursing , virology , pathology , electrical engineering , engineering
Summary Zoonoses, diseases that can spread under natural conditions between humans and other animals, are become a major public health concern in many countries including C anada. In C anada, investigations of zoonotic disease incidents are often conducted by public health inspectors ( PHI s). However, little is known about PHI s' knowledge of transmission of zoonotic pathogens, their perceptions of zoonotic disease importance or their education regarding zoonotic diseases. The objective of this study was therefore to assess the knowledge, perceptions and education of Canadian PHI s regarding zoonotic diseases. Data were collected from D ecember 2008– J anuary 2009 using an internet‐based survey distributed to members of the C anadian I nstitute of P ublic H ealth I nspectors national listserv. Responses were received from 229 PHI s in four provinces, with a response rate of approximately 20%. The majority of respondents reported at least 10 years of experience in the public health sector, 80% (181/225) were in frontline positions, and 62% (137/222) were routinely involved in investigations of infectious diseases. Two‐thirds believed that the importance of zoonotic diseases with regards to public health would increase in the next 5 years. Whilst most respondents were able to correctly identify animals capable of directly transmitting common zoonotic pathogens, there were gaps in knowledge, particularly with regard to rabies and transmission of gastrointestinal pathogens by companion animals. PHI s tended to feel that their training on zoonotic diseases prior to working as PHI s was deficient in some areas, or left some room for improvement. Their responses also suggested that there is a need for improvement in both the quantity and the quality of continuing education on zoonotic diseases. In particular, less than one‐third of PHI s received ongoing continuing education regarding zoonotic diseases, and of those that did, nearly two‐thirds rated the quantity and quality as only fair.