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Fellin E, Varin M, Millien V. Risky business: human-related data is lacking from Lyme disease risk models. Front Public Health 2023; 11:1113024. [PMID: 38026346 PMCID: PMC10662633 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1113024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2023] [Accepted: 10/09/2023] [Indexed: 12/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Used as a communicative tool for risk management, risk maps provide a service to the public, conveying information that can raise risk awareness and encourage mitigation. Several studies have utilized risk maps to determine risks associated with the distribution of Borrelia burgdorferi, the causal agent of Lyme disease in North America and Europe, as this zoonotic disease can lead to severe symptoms. This literature review focused on the use of risk maps to model distributions of B. burgdorferi and its vector, the blacklegged tick (Ixodes scapularis), in North America to compare variables used to predict these spatial models. Data were compiled from the existing literature to determine which ecological, environmental, and anthropic (i.e., human focused) variables past research has considered influential to the risk level for Lyme disease. The frequency of these variables was examined and analyzed via a non-metric multidimensional scaling analysis to compare different map elements that may categorize the risk models performed. Environmental variables were found to be the most frequently used in risk spatial models, particularly temperature. It was found that there was a significantly dissimilar distribution of variables used within map elements across studies: Map Type, Map Distributions, and Map Scale. Within these map elements, few anthropic variables were considered, particularly in studies that modeled future risk, despite the objective of these models directly or indirectly focusing on public health intervention. Without including human-related factors considering these variables within risk map models, it is difficult to determine how reliable these risk maps truly are. Future researchers may be persuaded to improve disease risk models by taking this into consideration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erica Fellin
- Department of Biology, McGill University, Montréal, QC, Canada
- Redpath Museum, McGill University, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Mathieu Varin
- Centre d'Enseignement et de Recherche en Foresterie (CERFO), Québec City, QC, Canada
| | - Virginie Millien
- Department of Biology, McGill University, Montréal, QC, Canada
- Redpath Museum, McGill University, Montréal, QC, Canada
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Laison EKE, Hamza Ibrahim M, Boligarla S, Li J, Mahadevan R, Ng A, Muthuramalingam V, Lee WY, Yin Y, Nasri BR. Identifying Potential Lyme Disease Cases Using Self-Reported Worldwide Tweets: Deep Learning Modeling Approach Enhanced With Sentimental Words Through Emojis. J Med Internet Res 2023; 25:e47014. [PMID: 37843893 PMCID: PMC10616745 DOI: 10.2196/47014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2023] [Revised: 07/26/2023] [Accepted: 08/31/2023] [Indexed: 10/17/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Lyme disease is among the most reported tick-borne diseases worldwide, making it a major ongoing public health concern. An effective Lyme disease case reporting system depends on timely diagnosis and reporting by health care professionals, and accurate laboratory testing and interpretation for clinical diagnosis validation. A lack of these can lead to delayed diagnosis and treatment, which can exacerbate the severity of Lyme disease symptoms. Therefore, there is a need to improve the monitoring of Lyme disease by using other data sources, such as web-based data. OBJECTIVE We analyzed global Twitter data to understand its potential and limitations as a tool for Lyme disease surveillance. We propose a transformer-based classification system to identify potential Lyme disease cases using self-reported tweets. METHODS Our initial sample included 20,000 tweets collected worldwide from a database of over 1.3 million Lyme disease tweets. After preprocessing and geolocating tweets, tweets in a subset of the initial sample were manually labeled as potential Lyme disease cases or non-Lyme disease cases using carefully selected keywords. Emojis were converted to sentiment words, which were then replaced in the tweets. This labeled tweet set was used for the training, validation, and performance testing of DistilBERT (distilled version of BERT [Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers]), ALBERT (A Lite BERT), and BERTweet (BERT for English Tweets) classifiers. RESULTS The empirical results showed that BERTweet was the best classifier among all evaluated models (average F1-score of 89.3%, classification accuracy of 90.0%, and precision of 97.1%). However, for recall, term frequency-inverse document frequency and k-nearest neighbors performed better (93.2% and 82.6%, respectively). On using emojis to enrich the tweet embeddings, BERTweet had an increased recall (8% increase), DistilBERT had an increased F1-score of 93.8% (4% increase) and classification accuracy of 94.1% (4% increase), and ALBERT had an increased F1-score of 93.1% (5% increase) and classification accuracy of 93.9% (5% increase). The general awareness of Lyme disease was high in the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, and Canada, with self-reported potential cases of Lyme disease from these countries accounting for around 50% (9939/20,000) of the collected English-language tweets, whereas Lyme disease-related tweets were rare in countries from Africa and Asia. The most reported Lyme disease-related symptoms in the data were rash, fatigue, fever, and arthritis, while symptoms, such as lymphadenopathy, palpitations, swollen lymph nodes, neck stiffness, and arrythmia, were uncommon, in accordance with Lyme disease symptom frequency. CONCLUSIONS The study highlights the robustness of BERTweet and DistilBERT as classifiers for potential cases of Lyme disease from self-reported data. The results demonstrated that emojis are effective for enrichment, thereby improving the accuracy of tweet embeddings and the performance of classifiers. Specifically, emojis reflecting sadness, empathy, and encouragement can reduce false negatives.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elda Kokoe Elolo Laison
- Département de médecine sociale et préventive, École de Santé Publique de l'Université de Montréal, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | | | - Srikanth Boligarla
- Harvard Extension School, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, United States
| | - Jiaxin Li
- Harvard Extension School, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, United States
| | - Raja Mahadevan
- Harvard Extension School, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, United States
| | - Austen Ng
- Harvard Extension School, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, United States
| | | | - Wee Yi Lee
- Harvard Extension School, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, United States
| | - Yijun Yin
- Harvard Extension School, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, United States
| | - Bouchra R Nasri
- Département de médecine sociale et préventive, École de Santé Publique de l'Université de Montréal, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
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Jacob AE, Weese JS, Rosseau J, Clow KM. Spatial patterns of Borrelia burgdorferi, Borrelia miyamotoi and Anaplasma phagocytophilum detected in Ixodes spp. ticks from Canadian companion animals, 2019-2020. Zoonoses Public Health 2022; 69:944-955. [PMID: 35982297 DOI: 10.1111/zph.12992] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2022] [Revised: 07/20/2022] [Accepted: 08/02/2022] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
Increasing temperatures due to climate change have contributed to a northward range expansion of Ixodes scapularis ticks in Canada. These ticks harbour pathogens of public and animal health significance, including Borrelia burgdorferi and Anaplasma phagocytophilum, which cause Lyme disease and anaplasmosis, respectively, in humans, dogs and horses, and Borrelia miyamotoi, which causes a flu-like relapsing fever in humans. To address the risks associated with these vector-borne zoonotic diseases, continuous tick surveillance is advised. This study examined spatial patterns of B. burgdorferi, B. miyamotoi and A. phagocytophilum from ticks submitted through a national study on ticks of companion animals. From 1 April 2019 to 31 March 2020, we received a total of 1541 eligible submissions from 94 veterinary clinics across Canada. Individual and pooled samples of a maximum of either 5 I. scapularis, I. pacificus or I. angustus samples from the same animal and of the same life stage were screened using real-time PCR targeting genes 23S rRNA for Borrelia spp. and msp2 for A. phagocytophilum. Confirmatory testing was conducted on all 23S rRNA positive samples using a duplex assay for ospA and flaB to differentiate B. burgdorferi and B. miyamotoi, respectively. Prevalence estimates were highest (>20%) for B. burgdorferi in southwestern Manitoba, eastern Ontario, southwestern Quebec, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. Estimates of B. miyamotoi and A. phagocytophilum were much lower (<5%), except for higher A. phagocytophilum (>5%) estimates for southern Manitoba, eastern Ontario and Prince Edward Island. Findings from this study, combined with other surveillance approaches, can be used to guide veterinary and public health approaches for ticks and tick-borne diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna E Jacob
- Department of Population Medicine, Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, Canada.,Institute for Medical Information Processing, Bioinformatics and Epidemiology, Ludwig Maximilian University, Munich, Germany
| | - Jeffrey Scott Weese
- Department of Pathobiology, Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, Canada.,Centre for Public Health and Zoonoses, Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, Canada
| | - Joyce Rosseau
- Centre for Public Health and Zoonoses, Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, Canada
| | - Katie M Clow
- Department of Population Medicine, Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, Canada
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Kanji JN, Isaac A, Gregson D, Mierzejewski M, Shpeley D, Tomlin P, Groeschel M, Lindsay LR, Lachance L, Kowalewska-Grochowska K. Epidemiology of ticks submitted from human hosts in Alberta, Canada (2000-2019). Emerg Microbes Infect 2022; 11:284-292. [PMID: 34991433 PMCID: PMC8812759 DOI: 10.1080/22221751.2022.2027217] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2021] [Accepted: 01/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
ABSTRACTThe geographic range and occurrence of tick species is dynamic. This has important public health implications due to important tick species that can transmit pathogens. This study presents a retrospective review of tick genera recovered from humans and submitted for identification in Alberta, Canada, over a 19-year period. The total number of ticks and proportion of genera were analyzed over time. Molecular testing for a number of pathogens associated with Ixodes scapularis and I. pacificus was conducted. A total of 2,358 ticks were submitted between 2000 and 2019, with 98.6% being acquired in Alberta. The number of ticks submitted increased significantly over time (p < 0.0001). Dermacentor ticks were the most abundant genus, followed by Ixodes and Amblyomma. There was a significant decrease in the proportion of Dermacentor ticks between 2013 and 2019 (p = 0.02), with a corresponding increase in the proportion of Ixodes ticks over the same time (p = 0.04). No statistically significant change in seasonality was identified. Borrelia burgdorferi was detected in 8/76 (10.5%; 95% CI 5.4-19.4%) of all I. scapularis and I. pacificus ticks submitted. This translated to a B. burgdorferi positivity of 0.35% (95% CI 0.15-0.68%) among all ticks received. Dermacentor species (especially D. andersoni) remains the most common tick feeding on humans in Alberta. Small numbers of vector species (including I. scapularis/pacificus) are encountered annually over widely separated geographic areas in the province. The risk of exposure to tick-borne pathogens (e.g. Lyme disease) in Alberta remains low.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jamil N. Kanji
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada
- Public Health Laboratory, Alberta Precision Laboratories, University of Alberta Hospital, Edmonton, Canada
| | - Abraam Isaac
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada
| | - Daniel Gregson
- Diagnostic and Scientific Centre, Alberta Precision Laboratories, Calgary, Canada
- Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Infectious Diseases, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada
| | - Monika Mierzejewski
- Public Health Laboratory, Alberta Precision Laboratories, University of Alberta Hospital, Edmonton, Canada
| | - Danny Shpeley
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada
| | - Pauline Tomlin
- Public Health Laboratory, Alberta Precision Laboratories, University of Alberta Hospital, Edmonton, Canada
| | - Michael Groeschel
- Diagnostic and Scientific Centre, Alberta Precision Laboratories, Calgary, Canada
- Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada
| | - L. Robbin Lindsay
- One Health, National Microbiology Laboratory, Public Health Agency of Canada, Winnipeg, Canada
| | - Lisa Lachance
- Alberta Health, Public Health and Compliance Division, Health and Wellness Promotion Branch, Edmonton, Canada
| | - Kinga Kowalewska-Grochowska
- Public Health Laboratory, Alberta Precision Laboratories, University of Alberta Hospital, Edmonton, Canada
- Department of Medical Microbiology & Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, and Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada
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Cull B. Monitoring Trends in Distribution and Seasonality of Medically Important Ticks in North America Using Online Crowdsourced Records from iNaturalist. INSECTS 2022; 13:insects13050404. [PMID: 35621740 PMCID: PMC9145093 DOI: 10.3390/insects13050404] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2022] [Revised: 04/20/2022] [Accepted: 04/20/2022] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Simple Summary An increasing number of cases of tick-borne diseases are being reported across North America and in new areas. This has been linked to the spread of ticks, primarily the blacklegged tick Ixodes scapularis and the lone star tick Amblyomma americanum, into new geographical regions. Tick surveillance systems have played an important role in monitoring the changing distributions of these ticks and have benefitted greatly from including data collected by members of the public through citizen or community science projects. Enlisting the help of community scientists is an economical way to collect large amounts of data over a wide geographical area, and participants can also benefit by receiving information relevant to their tick encounter, for example regarding tick-borne disease symptoms. This study examined tick observations from the online image-based biological recording platform iNaturalist to evaluate its use as an extra tool to collect information on expanding tick distributions. The distribution and seasonality of iNaturalist tick observations were found to accurately represent those of the studied species and identified potential new areas of tick expansion. Free-to-access iNaturalist data is a highly cost-effective method to support existing tick surveillance strategies to aid preparedness and response in emerging areas of tick establishment. Abstract Recent increases in the incidence and geographic range of tick-borne diseases in North America are linked to the range expansion of medically important tick species, including Ixodes scapularis, Amblyomma americanum, and Amblyomma maculatum. Passive tick surveillance programs have been highly successful in collecting information on tick distribution, seasonality, host-biting activity, and pathogen infection prevalence. These have demonstrated the power of citizen or community science participation to collect country-wide, epidemiologically relevant data in a resource-efficient manner. This study examined tick observations from the online image-based biological recording platform iNaturalist to evaluate its use as an effective tool for monitoring the distributions of A. americanum, A. maculatum, I. scapularis, and Dermacentor in the United States and Canada. The distribution and seasonality of iNaturalist tick observations were found to accurately represent those of the studied species. County-level iNaturalist tick occurrence data showed good agreement with other data sources in documented areas of I. scapularis and A. americanum establishment, and highlighted numerous previously unreported counties with iNaturalist observations of these species. This study supports the use of iNaturalist data as a highly cost-effective passive tick surveillance method that can complement existing surveillance strategies to update tick distributions and identify new areas of tick establishment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin Cull
- Department of Entomology, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN 55108, USA
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Karshima SN, Karshima MN, Ahmed MI. Infection rates, species diversity, and distribution of zoonotic Babesia parasites in ticks: a global systematic review and meta-analysis. Parasitol Res 2021; 121:311-334. [PMID: 34750651 DOI: 10.1007/s00436-021-07359-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2021] [Accepted: 10/24/2021] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
Zoonotic Babesia species are emerging public health threats globally, and are the cause of a mild to severe malaria-like disease which may be life threatening in immunocompromised individuals. In this study, we determine the global infection rate, distribution, and the diversity of zoonotic Babesia species in tick vectors using a systematic review and meta-analysis. We used the random-effects model to pool data and determined quality of individual studies using the Joanna Briggs Institute critical appraisal instrument for prevalence studies, heterogeneity using Cochran's Q test, and across study bias using Egger's regression test. Herein, we reported a 2.16% (3915/175345, 95% CI: 1.76-2.66) global infection rate of zoonotic Babesia species (B. divergens, B. microti, and B. venatorum) in tick vectors across 36 countries and 4 continents. Sub-group infection rates ranged between 0.65% (95% CI: 0.09-4.49) and 3.70% (95% CI: 2.61-5.21). B. microti was the most prevalent (1.79%, 95% CI: 1.38-2.31) species reported in ticks, while Ixodes scapularis recorded the highest infection rate (3.92%, 95% CI: 2.55-5.99). Larvae 4.18% (95% CI: 2.15-7.97) and females 4.08% (95% CI: 2.56-6.43) were the tick stage and sex with the highest infection rates. The presence of B. divergens, B. microti, and B. venatorum in tick vectors as revealed by the present study suggests possible risk of transmission of these pathogens to humans, especially occupationally exposed population. The control of tick vectors through chemical and biological methods as well as the use of repellants and appropriate clothing by occupationally exposed population are suggested to curtail the epidemiologic, economic, and public health threats associated with this emerging public health crisis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Solomon Ngutor Karshima
- Department of Veterinary Public Health and Preventive Medicine, University of Jos, PMB 2084, Jos, Nigeria.
| | - Magdalene Nguvan Karshima
- Department of Parasitology and Entomology, Modibbo Adama University of Technology, Yola, PMB 2076, Yola, Adamawa State, Nigeria
| | - Musa Isiyaku Ahmed
- Department of Veterinary Parasitology and Entomology, Federal University of Agriculture, Zuru, PMB 28, Zuru, Kebbi State, Nigeria
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Evidence-based communication on climate change and health: Testing videos, text, and maps on climate change and Lyme disease in Manitoba, Canada. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0252952. [PMID: 34111202 PMCID: PMC8191974 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0252952] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2020] [Accepted: 05/25/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Given the climate crisis and its cumulative impacts on public health, effective communication strategies that engage the public in adaptation and mitigation are critical. Many have argued that a health frame increases engagement, as do visual methodologies including online and interactive platforms, yet to date there has been limited research on audience responses to health messaging using visual interventions. This study explores public attitudes regarding communication tools focused on climate change and climate-affected Lyme disease through six focus groups (n = 61) in rural and urban southern Manitoba, Canada. The results add to the growing evidence of the efficacy of visual and storytelling methods in climate communications and argues for a continuum of mediums: moving from video, text, to maps. Findings underscore the importance of tailoring both communication messages and mediums to increase uptake of adaptive health and environmental behaviours, for some audiences bridging health and climate change while for others strategically decoupling them.
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Nury C, Blais MC, Arsenault J. Risk of transmittable blood-borne pathogens in blood units from blood donor dogs in Canada. J Vet Intern Med 2021; 35:1316-1324. [PMID: 33960531 PMCID: PMC8162595 DOI: 10.1111/jvim.16139] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2020] [Revised: 04/09/2021] [Accepted: 04/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Canine blood donors can be infected by various vector‐borne or other pathogens that could be an important cause of morbidity and death in transfusion recipients. Hypothesis/Objectives To estimate and predict positivity to transmittable blood‐borne pathogens in blood units collected from blood donor dogs in Canada. Animals Six thousand one hundred and fifty blood units from 1914 active blood donors registered to the Canadian Animal Blood Bank (CABB) between March 2010 and December 2016. Methods A registry‐based retrospective study. Blood units were screened by SNAP 4Dx/4Dx Plus and PCR panel tests. Information on blood donors and test results were extracted from multiple databases and collated. Logistic regressions were used to predict blood unit positivity. Results Of 1779 blood units, 0.56% were antibody‐positive for Anaplasma phagocytophilum/platys and 0% for Ehrlichia canis/ewingii. After exclusion of antibody‐positive units to Anaplasma spp., 1.1% of 6140 blood units were PCR‐positive to Anaplasma phagocytophilum, Bartonella spp., Brucella canis, “Candidatus Mycoplasma haematoparvum,” Mycoplasma haemocanis, or a combination of these pathogens. Babesia spp., Ehrlichia spp., and Leishmania spp. were not detected. Units from the first blood collection from a dog had higher odds of testing PCR‐positive (P < .001) for at least 1 pathogen than units from subsequent collections. Conclusions and Clinical Importance Although our study indicates a low probability of detecting blood‐borne pathogen in blood units collected by this Canadian blood bank, the presence of positive units highlights the importance of the preemptive identification and screening of blood units from healthy blood donors for safe blood banking, especially in first‐time donors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charlotte Nury
- Department of Pathology and Microbiology, Faculté de médecine vétérinaire, Université de Montréal, Saint-Hyacinthe, Québec, Canada
| | - Marie-Claude Blais
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Faculté de médecine vétérinaire, Université de Montréal, Saint-Hyacinthe, Québec, Canada
| | - Julie Arsenault
- Department of Pathology and Microbiology, Faculté de médecine vétérinaire, Université de Montréal, Saint-Hyacinthe, Québec, Canada
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Cameron L, Rocque R, Penner K, Mauro I. Public perceptions of Lyme disease and climate change in southern Manitoba, Canada: making a case for strategic decoupling of climate and health messages. BMC Public Health 2021; 21:617. [PMID: 33781235 PMCID: PMC8008613 DOI: 10.1186/s12889-021-10614-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2020] [Accepted: 03/11/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Despite scientific evidence that climate change has profound and far reaching implications for public health, translating this knowledge in a manner that supports citizen engagement, applied decision-making, and behavioural change can be challenging. This is especially true for complex vector-borne zoonotic diseases such as Lyme disease, a tick-borne disease which is increasing in range and impact across Canada and internationally in large part due to climate change. This exploratory research aims to better understand public risk perceptions of climate change and Lyme disease in order to increase engagement and motivate behavioural change. METHODS A focus group study involving 61 participants was conducted in three communities in the Canadian Prairie province of Manitoba in 2019. Focus groups were segmented by urban, rural, and urban-rural geographies, and between participants with high and low levels of self-reported concern regarding climate change. RESULTS Findings indicate a broad range of knowledge and risk perceptions on both climate change and Lyme disease, which seem to reflect the controversy and complexity of both issues in the larger public discourse. Participants in high climate concern groups were found to have greater climate change knowledge, higher perception of risk, and less skepticism than those in low concern groups. Participants outside of the urban centre were found to have more familiarity with ticks, Lyme disease, and preventative behaviours, identifying differential sources of resilience and vulnerability. Risk perceptions of climate change and Lyme disease were found to vary independently rather than correlate, meaning that high climate change risk perception did not necessarily indicate high Lyme disease risk perception and vice versa. CONCLUSIONS This research contributes to the growing literature framing climate change as a public health issue, and suggests that in certain cases climate and health messages might be framed in a way that strategically decouples the issue when addressing climate skeptical audiences. A model showing the potential relationship between Lyme disease and climate change perceptions is proposed, and implications for engagement on climate change health impacts are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Cameron
- Prairie Climate Centre, University of Winnipeg, 515 Portage Ave, Winnipeg, Manitoba, R3B 2E9, Canada.
| | - Rhéa Rocque
- Prairie Climate Centre, University of Winnipeg, 515 Portage Ave, Winnipeg, Manitoba, R3B 2E9, Canada
| | - Kailey Penner
- Prairie Climate Centre, University of Winnipeg, 515 Portage Ave, Winnipeg, Manitoba, R3B 2E9, Canada
| | - Ian Mauro
- Prairie Climate Centre, University of Winnipeg, 515 Portage Ave, Winnipeg, Manitoba, R3B 2E9, Canada.
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