Building resilience: Assessing the Canadian Animal Health Surveillance System's strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities within Canada's early warning system for animal health.

Abstract

BACKGROUND: The frequency and sizes of animal health events, including outbreaks of infectious and zoonotic diseases, are rising globally, driven by factors such as intensified animal production, expanded transportation networks, and increased human-animal interactions. Weaknesses in disease surveillance systems further exacerbate the spread of diseases, underscoring the need for robust early warning systems (EWS) to enable timely interventions and prevent large-scale outbreaks. The Canadian Animal Health Surveillance System (CAHSS) plays an important role in Canada's national animal health infrastructure, functioning as a collaborative "network of networks" to strengthen and enhance surveillance, making it a key component of Canada's animal health EWS. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to i) identify key components of a robust EWS; and ii) evaluate CAHSS's strengths, limitations, opportunities, and threats in fulfilling this role. PROCEDURE: A rapid scoping review of peer-reviewed and gray literature was conducted using electronic databases and government resources. The review assessed factors within the Food and Agriculture Organization's draft Strategic Framework for Early Warning Systems in Animal Health, including i) surveillance, ii) risk monitoring, iii) communication, and iv) decision support. A SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) analysis was undertaken to evaluate the role of CAHSS within Canada's EWS for animal health threats and inform key recommendations. RESULTS CONCLUSION AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: The review underscores CAHSS's role in fostering trust among stakeholders, promoting valuable information-sharing, and highlights opportunities to enhance early warning by clarifying roles and responsibilities across partners and integrating additional technologies to improve data accessibility and analytical capabilities. By identifying CAHSS's strengths and areas for growth, this review aims to inform future efforts to strengthen Canada's capacity to prevent, prepare for, and respond to emerging animal health threats.