Habitat Protection and Pandemic Prevention

ANIMALS, HABITATS, AND HUMAN HEALTH —
CREATING A HEALTHY ECOSYSTEM AND PROTECTING BIOSECURITY

Animal Health Week (AHW) is an annual national public awareness campaign organized by the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association (CVMA) and hosted by veterinarians across Canada. Each year, through AHW, the veterinary community draws attention to an important health-related message.

From October 2 – 8, 2022, the CVMA will celebrate our annual Animal Health Week by raising awareness about Habitat Protection and Pandemic Prevention – showcasing how animals, habitats, and human health are interdependent in creating healthy ecosystems which helps protect biosecurity. This year’s theme displays how Canada’s veterinary professionals occupy unique positions within the national One Health community in protecting animal health which, in turn, protects everyone’s health.

Promotional tools, including a social media campaign, educational information, and articles will be available to promote Animal Health Week across the country on the Animal Health Week page under the Practice Tools section of the Veterinary Resources tab of the CVMA website (canadianveterinarians.net).

The 2022 Animal Health Week campaign key messages are intended to educate the public about the importance of habitat protection:

  • Protecting the habitats of animals helps protect shared ecosystems and, in turns, helps safeguard human health.
  • Respecting animals in their natural environments helps deter the spread of disease to other animal species and humans.
  • Importation of exotic animals, and even improper movement of domestic animals, can introduce disease to local animals and people.
  • Encroaching upon wildlife habitats or entering commercial/farmed operations without following proper protocols can result in biosecurity breaches which can lead to outcomes dangerous to animals and people.
  • Protecting the environments of wildlife and all animals in your care is paramount in pandemic prevention.
  • Monitoring disease in wildlife, such as migrating birds, bats, and feral animals like pigs and dogs, can play an important role in future pandemic prevention.

2022 Animal Health Week Sponsors

Generous support of the 2022 Animal Health Week campaign is provided by Program Sponsors, iFinance Canada (Petcard) and Petsecure.

To access important resources and further details, please visit CVMA Animal Health Week page!