Zoonoses account for over 70% of emerging infectious diseases in humans. In recent years, global public health security has been threatened by zoonotic disease emergence as exemplified by outbreaks of H5N1 and H1N1 influenza, SARS, and most recently Ebola. The occurrence of a number of these zoonoses, and their spread to new areas, is related to globalization, environmental changes, and marginalization of populations. This phenomenon holds true for Latin American and the Caribbean countries (LAC), where 70% of the events public health emergencies reported to the WHO from 2007 to 2008 in the Americas were classified as zoonoses or communicable diseases common to humans and animals. Despite this record, there are no national or regional disease burden estimates in LAC for many zoonoses. To start filling this void, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) conducted a survey of LAC countries to collect information on priority emerging and endemic zoonoses, countries prioritization criteria and methodologies, and suggestions to strengthen countries capacities and regional approaches to zoonoses control.
Objective
To take the first step in identifying how American countries can strengthen their capacities to manage zoonoses risks by capturing information regarding their national zoonoses programs and priorities.