Zoonotic Behaviors: Overview

Each zoonotic disease is associated with a set of risk and prevention behaviors. Risk behaviors increase the risk of particular diseases jumping from animals to humans or spreading among humans. Prevention behaviors are actions that stop the disease from spreading, taking into account the specific mode of transmission as well as the availability of vaccines. Review the list of behaviors below to see a description and the priority zoonotic diseases with which each behavior intersects. Filter by disease to see relevant behaviors for a particular pathogen.

After reviewing the behaviors below, proceed to research questions (“Collecting Data”) that explore these behaviors in the context of zoonotic diseases.

How to Use this Table

Consider your goals for collecting behavioral data.

√ Do you want to look at behaviors that create risk, or behaviors that prevent disease? Filter using “type”.

√ Are you concerned about spillover from animals, or spreading between people? Filter using “transmission”.

√ Are you interested in any behaviors for specific diseases? Filter using “Disease”.

Download the filtered list of behaviors that you can use to design your data collection or risk communication strategy.

Use the suggested dimensions to reflect on your list of behaviors and prioritize the ones that are most important.

Zoonotic Behaviors

Type:

Transmission:

Behavior category:

Disease:

Behavior	Type	Transmission	Overview	Behavior category	Disease
Cohabitation with animals	Risk behavior	Animal-human	Sharing the living space with animals increases exposure to zoonotic diseases.	Sharing space with animals	HPAI/Avian influenza, Anthrax, Rabies, Mpox
Keeping animals away from the house	Prevention behavior	Animal-human	Keeping animals penned away from the house reduces exposure to zoonotic diseases.	Sharing space with animals	Lassa Fever, Rift Valley Fever, HPAI/Avian influenza, Anthrax, Rabies, Mpox, Brucellosis, Bovine TB, Swine Flu, CCHF
Protecting food or animal feed from rodents	Prevention behavior	Animal-human	Reducing the rodent population in living spaces can reduce exposure to diseases they carry. For certain diseases like Lassa fever, covering food can prevent direct exposure.	Food storage and preparation	Ebola, Lassa Fever, Marburg, Mpox
Confining or tying up dogs	Prevention behavior	Animal-human	Ownerless or roaming dogs can bite and transmit rabies.	Sharing space with animals	Rabies
Quarantining newly acquired animals	Prevention behavior	Animal-animal	Quarantining new animals allows any infected animals to be identified before mixing them in with the existing herd.	Handling livestock	Rift Valley Fever, Anthrax, Brucellosis, Bovine TB, Swine Flu, CCHF
Separating sick animals from the herd	Prevention behavior	Animal-animal	Separating sick animals stops diseases from spreading to the entire herd.	Handling livestock	Rift Valley Fever, Anthrax, Brucellosis, Bovine TB, Swine Flu, CCHF
Separating livestock by type (cows with cows, sheep with sheep)	Prevention behavior	Animal-animal	Separating animals can limit cross-species spread.	Handling livestock	Rift Valley Fever, Anthrax, Brucellosis, CCHF
Ritual washing of dead bodies	Risk behavior	Human-human	Close contact with dead bodies can lead to infection.	Handling corpses	Ebola, Lassa Fever, Marburg, Mpox
Improperly disposing of animal corpses	Risk behavior	Animal-human, Animal-animal	Failing to bury corpses of dead animals can lead to contamination if other animals or people find and expose themselves.	Handling corpses	Rift Valley Fever, Anthrax,Rabies, Mpox, Brucellosis, Bovine TB, CCHF
Utilization of veterinary care	Prevention behavior	Animal-human, Animal-animal	Calling a vet when an animal is sick can allow the animal to be tested or treated before infecting other animals or humans.	Care-seeking for animals or humans	Rift Valley Fever, HPAI/Avian influenza, Anthrax, Rabies, Mpox, Brucellosis, Bovine TB, Swine Flu, CCHF
Immediately seeking care at a health facility for a dog bite	Prevention behavior	Animal-human	For certain exposures to disease, time is of the essence to prevent serious outcomes.	Care-seeking for animals or humans	Rabies
Cooking meat thoroughly	Prevention behavior	Animal-human	Certain diseases are spread through undercooked meat.	Food storage and preparation	Ebola, Marburg, Rift Valley Fever, HPAI/Avian influenza, Anthrax, Rabies, Mpox, Brucellosis, Bovine TB, CCHF
Cooking eggs thoroughly	Prevention behavior	Animal-human	Certain diseases can spread through undercooked poultry products including eggs.	Food storage and preparation	HPAI/Avian influenza
Boiling milk for 30 minutes	Prevention behavior	Animal-human	Heat kills potential pathogens in milk.	Food storage and preparation	Rift Valley Fever, Brucellosis, Bovine TB
Using hot soapy water to wash utensils and surfaces that have come into contact with raw meat	Prevention behavior	Animal-human	Surface contamination is an exposure point for diseases that can spread from raw meat	Food storage and preparation	Ebola, Lassa Fever, Marburg, Rift Valley Fever, HPAI/Avian influenza, Anthrax, Rabies, Mpox, Brucellosis, Bovine TB, CCHF
Consuming bushmeat/wild birds	Risk behavior	Animal-human	Meat that comes from animals like bats, non-human primates, or duikers can lead to infection.	Food consumption	Ebola, Marburg, Rift Valley Fever, HPAI/Avian influenza, Anthrax, Rabies, Mpox, Brucellosis
Eating fruit partially consumed by an animal	Risk behavior	Animal-human	Sick or reservoir animals like bats can contaminate fruit, causing infection to anyone who finds and eats it.	Food consumption	Ebola, Lassa Fever, Marburg
Eating meat from sick animals or animals that died of unknown causes	Risk behavior	Animal-human	Sick animals may be infected with a disease that can spread to humans if consumed.	Food consumption	Ebola, Lassa Fever, Marburg, Rift Valley Fever, HPAI/Avian influenza, Anthrax, Rabies, Mpox, Brucellosis, Bovine TB, CCHF
Eating unpasteurized cheese	Risk behavior	Animal-human	Cheese that hasn't been heated to the proper temperature can spread disease.	Food consumption	Rift Valley Fever, Brucellosis, Bovine TB
Wearing personal protective equipment (gloves, gown, boots) while handling or slaughtering animals	Prevention behavior	Animal-human	Interacting with hair, blood or other fluids during handling or slaughter is an exposure point for transmission of diseases from animals to human	Hygiene and protection	Ebola, Lassa Fever, Marburg, Rift Valley Fever, HPAI/Avian influenza, Anthrax, Rabies, Mpox, Brucellosis, Bovine TB, Swine Flu, CCHF
Washing hands with soap and water after touching animals or animal products	Prevention behavior	Animal-human	Disease can spread from animals to humans if humans have direct contact and then touch their eyes or mouth.	Hygiene and protection	Ebola, Marburg, Rift Valley Fever, Avian influenza, Anthrax
Using hand sanitizer regularly throughout the day	Prevention behavior	Animal-human, Human-human	Disease can spread from animals to humans, or human to human, through contact with hands and then touching one's eyes or mouth.	Hygiene and protection	Ebola, Lassa Fever, Marburg, Rift Valley Fever, HPAI/Avian influenza, Anthrax, Rabies
Covering any open wounds before entering in contact with animals	Prevention behavior	Animal-human	Pathogens can contaminate open wounds, and covering wounds minimizes the chance of disease spreading.	Hygiene and protection	Ebola, Lassa Fever, Marburg, Rift Valley Fever, HPAI/Avian influenza, Anthrax, Rabies, Mpox, Brucellosis, Bovine TB
Vaccinating dogs	Prevention behavior	Animal-human	The majority of rabies infections in humans comes from dogs, and vaccinating dogs can prevent the disease.	Vaccination	Rabies
Vaccinating cattle	Prevention behavior	Animal-human, Animal-animal	Vaccination can prevent animal infections and reduce the risk of transmitting diseases to humans.	Vaccination	Anthrax, Brucellosis, Rift Valley Fever
Washing an animal bite with soap and water for at least 15 minutes	Prevention behavior	Animal-human	Some diseases can be transmitted through direct contact with saliva of an infected animals, such as through bites.	Hygiene and protection	Lassa Fever, Rabies
Wearing long sleeved shirts and long pants	Prevention behavior	Animal-human	Wearing long sleeves and long pants can provide some partial protection against diseases transmitted through the bites of flies or ticks.	Hygiene and protection	Dengue, CCHF, Trypanosomiasis, Yellow Fever
Wearing a face mask around potentially infected people	Prevention behavior	Human-human	For diseases that spread through respiratory droplets or are airborne, wearing a mask in crowds or around people who are potentially infected can be protective. In some cases it depends on the variant (for viruses) or how close the contact is; for example, mpox spread currently requires close and prolonged contact for respiratory transmission.	Hygiene and protection	Marburg, HPAI/Avian influenza, Bovine TB, Swine Flu, Mpox
Wearing a face mask while handling or slaughtering potentially infected animals	Prevention behavior	Animal-human	For diseases that spread from animals through droplets or are airborne, wearing a mask around potentially infected animals can be protective.	Hygiene and protection	Anthrax, Brucellosis, Bovine TB, Swine Flu, Rift Valley Fever
Wearing a face mask in areas with a lot of rodent droppings, hides, or other animal products	Prevention behavior	Animal-human	For diseases that can be spread through ingestion or inhalation of rodent droppings or other animal products, wearing a mask in contaminated areas can help prevent infection. For example, anthrax can spread when people breathe spores from hides.	Hygiene and protection	Anthrax, Lassa Fever
Wearing protective equipment (such as gloves) when caring for potentially infected people	Prevention behavior	Human-human	Some diseases can be transmitted through direct contact with bodily fluids of an infected person, and wearing PPE can help protect caregivers (whether relatives at home or within a healthcare facility).	Hygiene and protection	Ebola, Lassa Fever, Marburg, Mpox, Swine Flu, CCHF, HPAI/Avian influenza
Ensuring that visitors systematically wash and disinfect their hands before and after accessing animal facilities.	Prevention behavior	Animal-human	People can get diseases from visiting animal facilities through direct contact with infected animals (farms, livestock markets, zoos, etc.)	Hygiene and protection	HPAI/Avian influenza, Rabies, Swine Flu
Prohibiting visitors from accessing animal facilities.	Prevention behavior	Animal-human	Visitors who visit animal facilities may not be trained on proper handling and can get infected.	Hygiene and protection	HPAI/Avian influenza, Rabies, Swine Flu
Getting vaccinated if at risk and eligible	Prevention behavior	Animal-human, Human-human	Vaccination is an important way to prevent infection or forward transmission of many zoonotic diseases. While the behavior may be limited by the stage of authorization or eligibility in each setting, it is often good to investigate factors influencing vaccination.	Vaccination	Ebola, Rift Valley Fever, Rabies, Anthrax, Mpox, Bovine TB, Swine Flu, HPAI/Avian influenza, Dengue
Sleeping under a mosquito net every night of the week	Prevention behavior	Animal-human	Habitually sleeping under a mosquito net can prevent mosquito bites and infection from vectorborne illnesses.	Hygiene and protection	Dengue, CCHF, Rift Valley Fever, Trypanosomiasis, Yellow Fever
Wear insect repellent outdoors	Prevention behavior	Animal-human	Wearing insect repellent can prevent mosquito bites that transmit viruses.	Hygiene and protection	Dengue, Rift Valley Fever, Yellow Fever
Remove or cover standing water	Prevention behavior	Animal-human	Removing or covering items that contain water where mosquitoes lay eggs will reduce the mosquito population and the chance of bites.	Hygiene and protection	Dengue, Rift Valley Fever, Yellow Fever
	Type	Transmission		Behavior category	Disease

CCHF=Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever

HPAI=highly pathogenic avian influenza

Zoonotic Behaviors French

Taper:

Transmission:

Catégorie de comportement:

Maladie Zoonoses Prioritaire:

Comportement	Taper	Transmission	Aperçu	Catégorie de comportement	Maladie Zoonoses Prioritaire
Bien cuire la viande	Comportement de prévention	Animal-humain	Certaines maladies se propagent par la viande insuffisamment cuite.	Conservation et préparation des aliments	Ebola, Marburg, fièvre de la Vallée du Rift, GAHP/grippe aviaire, anthrax, rage, mpox, brucellose, tuberculose bovine, FHCC
Bien cuire les œufs	Comportement de prévention	Animal-humain	Certaines maladies peuvent se propager par des produits de volaille insuffisamment cuits, y compris les œufs.	Conservation et préparation des aliments	GAHP/grippe aviaire
Cohabitation avec les animaux	Comportement à risque	Animal-humain	Le partage de l'espace de vie avec des animaux augmente l'exposition aux maladies zoonotiques.	Partager l'espace avec les animaux	GAHP/grippe aviaire, anthrax, rage, mpox
Confiner ou attacher des chiens	Comportement de prévention	Animal-humain	Les chiens sans maître ou errants peuvent mordre et transmettre la rage.	Partager l'espace avec les animaux	rage
Consommer de la viande de brousse/oiseaux sauvages	Comportement à risque	Animal-animal	La viande provenant d'animaux comme les chauves-souris, les primates non humains ou les céphalophes peut entraîner une infection.	Consommation de nourriture	Ebola, Marburg, fièvre de la Vallée du Rift, GAHP/grippe aviaire, anthrax, rage, mpox, brucellose
Couvrir les plaies ouvertes avant d'entrer en contact avec les animaux.	Comportement de prévention	Animal-animal	Les agents pathogènes peuvent contaminer les plaies ouvertes et couvrir les plaies minimiser le risque de propagation de la maladie.	Hygiène et protection	Ebola, fièvre de Lassa, Marburg, fièvre de la Vallée du Rift, GAHP/grippe aviaire, anthrax, rage, mpox, brucellose, tuberculose bovine
Demander immédiatement des soins dans un établissement de santé pour une morsure de chien	Comportement de prévention	Animal-animal	Pour certaines expositions à la maladie, le temps est essentiel pour prévenir des conséquences graves.	Recherche de soins pour animaux ou humains	rage
Faire bouillir le lait pendant 30 minutes	Comportement de prévention	Humain-humain	La chaleur tue les agents pathogènes potentiels dans le lait.	Conservation et préparation des aliments	fièvre de la Vallée du Rift, brucellose, tuberculose bovine
Laver rituel des cadavres	Comportement à risque	Animal-humain, Animal-animal	Un contact étroit avec des cadavres peut entraîner une infection.	Manipulation de cadavres	Ebola, fièvre de Lassa, Marburg, mpox
Laver une morsure d'animal avec de l'eau et du savon pendant au moins 15 minutes	Comportement de prévention	Animal-humain, Animal-animal	Certaines maladies peuvent être transmises par contact direct avec la salive d'un animal infecté, par exemple par des morsures.	Hygiène et protection	fièvre de Lassa, rage
Manger de la viande d'animaux malades ou d'animaux morts de causes inconnues	Comportement à risque	Animal-humain	Les animaux malades peuvent être infectés par une maladie qui peut se propager aux humains s'ils sont consommés.	Consommation de nourriture	Ebola, fièvre de Lassa, Marburg, fièvre de la Vallée du Rift, GAHP/grippe aviaire, anthrax, rage, mpox, brucellose, tuberculose bovine, FHCC
Manger des fruits en partie consommés par un animal	Comportement à risque	Animal-humain	Les animaux malades ou réservoirs, comme les chauves-souris, peuvent contaminer les fruits, causant une infection à toute personne qui les trouve et les mange.	Consommation de nourriture	Ebola, fièvre de Lassa, Marburg
Manger du fromage non pasteurisé	Comportement à risque	Animal-humain	Le fromage qui n'a pas été chauffé à la bonne température peut propager des maladies.	Consommation de nourriture	fièvre de la Vallée du Rift, brucellose, tuberculose bovine
Mettre en quarantaine les animaux nouvellement acquis	Comportement de prévention	Animal-humain	La mise en quarantaine des nouveaux animaux permet d'identifier tout animal infecté avant de le mélanger au troupeau existant.	Manipulation du bétail	fièvre de la Vallée du Rift, anthrax, brucellose, tuberculose bovine, grippe porcine, FHCC
Porter des chemises à manches longues et des pantalons longs	Comportement de prévention	Animal-humain	Le port de manches longues et de pantalons longs peut fournir une protection partielle contre les maladies transmises par les piqûres de mouches ou de tiques.	Hygiène et protection	dengue, FHCC, trypanosomiase, fièvre de la vallée du Rift, fièvre jaune
Porter un équipement de protection individuelle (gants, blouse, bottes) lors de la manipulation ou de l'abattage des animaux	Comportement de prévention	Animal-humain	L'interaction avec les cheveux, le sang ou d'autres fluides pendant la manipulation ou l'abattage est un point d'exposition pour la transmission de maladies des animaux aux humains	Hygiène et protection	Ebola, fièvre de Lassa, Marburg, fièvre de la Vallée du Rift, GAHP/grippe aviaire, anthrax, rage, mpox, brucellose, tuberculose bovine, grippe porcine, FHCC
Protéger des denrées alimentaires ou des aliments pour animaux contre les rongeurs	Comportement de prévention	Animal-humain	La réduction de la population de rongeurs dans les espaces de vie peut réduire l'exposition aux maladies qu'ils portent. Pour certaines maladies comme la fièvre de Lassa, couvrir les aliments peut empêcher l'exposition directe.	Conservation et préparation des aliments	Ebola, fièvre de Lassa, Marburg, mpox
Se laver les mains à l'eau et au savon après avoir touché des animaux ou des produits d'origine animale	Comportement de prévention	Animal-humain	La maladie peut se propager des animaux aux humains si les humains ont un contact direct, puis se toucher les yeux ou la bouche.	Hygiène et protection	Ebola, Marburg, fièvre de la Vallée du Rift, GAHP/grippe aviaire, anthrax
Séparer le bétail par type (les vaches avec les vaches, les moutons avec les moutons)	Comportement de prévention	Animal-humain	La séparation des animaux peut limiter la propagation entre les espèces.	Manipulation du bétail	fièvre de la Vallée du Rift, anthrax, brucellose, FHCC
Séparer les animaux malades du troupeau	Comportement de prévention	Animal-humain	La séparation des animaux malades empêche la propagation des maladies à l'ensemble du troupeau.	Manipulation du bétail	fièvre de la Vallée du Rift, anthrax, brucellose, tuberculose bovine, grippe porcine, FHCC
Utiliser des soins vétérinaires	Comportement de prévention	Animal-humain	Appeler un vétérinaire lorsqu'un animal est malade peut permettre de tester ou de traiter l'animal avant d'infecter d'autres animaux ou des humains.	Recherche de soins pour animaux ou humains	fièvre de la Vallée du Rift, GAHP/grippe aviaire, anthrax, rage, mpox, brucellose, tuberculose bovine, grippe porcine, FHCC
Utiliser l'eau chaude savonneuse pour laver les ustensiles et les surfaces qui ont été en contact avec la viande crue	Comportement de prévention	Animal-humain, Humain-humain	La contamination de surface est un point d'exposition aux maladies qui peuvent se propager à partir de la viande crue	Conservation et préparation des aliments	Ebola, fièvre de Lassa, Marburg, fièvre de la Vallée du Rift, GAHP/grippe aviaire, anthrax, rage, mpox, brucellose, tuberculose bovine, FHCC
Utiliser régulièrement du désinfectant pour les mains tout au long de la journée	Comportement de prévention	Animal-humain	La maladie peut se propager des animaux aux humains, ou d'un homme à homme, par contact avec les mains, puis en se touchant les yeux ou la bouche.	Hygiène et protection	Ebola, fièvre de Lassa, Marburg, fièvre de la Vallée du Rift, GAHP/grippe aviaire, anthrax, rage
Vacciner des chiens	Comportement de prévention	Animal-humain	La majorité des infections de rage chez l'homme proviennent de chiens, et la vaccination des chiens peut prévenir la maladie.	Vaccination	rage
Vacciner du bétail	Comportement de prévention	Animal-humain, Animal-animal	La vaccination peut prévenir les infections animales et réduire le risque de transmission de maladies aux humains.	Vaccination	anthrax, brucellose, fièvre de la Vallée du Rift
Éliminer les cadavres d'animaux de manière inappropriée	Comportement à risque	Animal-humain	Le fait de ne pas enterrer les cadavres d'animaux morts peut entraîner une contamination si d'autres animaux ou des personnes les trouvent et s'y exposent.	Manipulation de cadavres	fièvre de la Vallée du Rift, anthrax, rage, mpox, brucellose, tuberculose bovine, FHCC
Éloigner les animaux de la maison	Comportement de prévention	Animal-humain	Garder les animaux dans des enclos éloignés de la maison réduit l'exposition aux maladies zoonotiques.	Partager l'espace avec les animaux	fièvre de Lassa, fièvre de la Vallée du Rift, GAHP/grippe aviaire, anthrax, rage, mpox, brucellose, tuberculose bovine, grippe porcine, FHCC
Porter un masque en présence de personnes potentiellement infectées	Comportement de prévention	Humain-humain	Pour les maladies qui se propagent par des gouttelettes respiratoires ou qui sont transmises par l'air, le port d'un masque dans les foules ou à proximité de personnes potentiellement infectées peut constituer une protection. Dans certains cas, cela dépend de la variante (pour les virus) ou de la proximité du contact ; par exemple, la propagation de la mpox nécessite actuellement un contact étroit et prolongé pour la transmission respiratoire.	Hygiène et protection	Marburg, GAHP/grippe aviaire, tuberculose bovine, grippe porcine, mpox
Porter un masque lors de la manipulation ou de l'abattage d'animaux potentiellement infectés.	Comportement de prévention	Animal-humain	Pour les maladies qui se propagent à partir d'animaux par des gouttelettes ou qui sont transmises par l'air, le port d'un masque à proximité d'animaux potentiellement infectés peut constituer une protection.	Hygiène et protection	anthrax, brucellose, tuberculose bovine, grippe porcine, fièvre de la Vallée du Rift
Porter un masque dans les zones où il y a beaucoup d'excréments de rongeurs, de peaux ou d'autres produits d'origine animale.	Comportement de prévention	Animal-humain	Pour les maladies qui se propagent par ingestion ou inhalation d'excréments de rongeurs ou d'autres produits animaux, le port d'un masque dans les zones contaminées peut contribuer à prévenir l'infection. Par exemple, l'anthrax peut se propager lorsque des personnes respirent des spores provenant de peaux.	Hygiène et protection	anthrax, fièvre de Lassa
Portez un équipement de protection (comme des gants) lors des soins aux personnes potentiellement infectées	Comportement de prévention	Humain-humain	Certaines maladies peuvent être transmises par contact direct avec les fluides corporels d'une personne infectée, et le port d'un EP peut contribuer à protéger les soignants (qu'il s'agisse de membres de la famille à domicile ou dans un établissement de soins de santé).	Hygiène et protection	Ebola, fièvre de Lassa, Marburg, Mpox, grippe porcine, FHCC, GAHP/grippe aviaire
Veiller à ce que les visiteurs se lavent et se désinfectent systématiquement les mains avant et après avoir accédé aux animaleries.	Comportement de prévention	Animal-humain	Les personnes peuvent contracter des maladies en visitant des installations animales par contact direct avec des animaux infectés (fermes, marchés aux bestiaux, zoos, etc.).	Hygiène et protection	GAHP/grippe aviaire, rage, grippe porcine
Ne laisser pas les visiteurs accéder aux installations pour animaux	Comportement de prévention	Animal-humain	Les visiteurs qui se rendent dans des installations animales peuvent ne pas être formés à une manipulation correcte et peuvent être infectés.	Hygiène et protection	GAHP/grippe aviaire, rage, grippe porcine
Se faire vacciner si l'on est à risque et éligible	Comportement de prévention	Animal-humain, Humain-humain	La vaccination est un moyen important de prévenir l'infection ou la transmission de nombreuses zoonoses. Bien que le comportement puisse être limité par le stade d'autorisation ou d'éligibilité dans chaque contexte, il est souvent utile d'étudier les facteurs influençant la vaccination.	Vaccination	Ebola, fièvre de la vallée du Rift, rage, anthrax, mpox, tuberculose bovine, grippe porcine, GAHP/grippe aviaire
Dormir sous une moustiquaire tous les soirs de la semaine.	Comportement de prévention	Animal-humain	Dormir habituellement sous une moustiquaire peut prévenir les piqûres de moustiques et les infections dues à des maladies à transmission vectorielle.	Hygiène et protection	dengue, fièvre de la vallée du Rift, fièvre jaune
Porter un répulsif pour les insectes lorsque vous êtes à l'extérieur	Comportement de prévention	Animal-humain	Le port d'un insectifuge peut prévenir les piqûres de moustiques qui transmettent des virus.	Hygiène et protection	dengue, fièvre de la vallée du Rift, fièvre jaune
Enlever ou couvrir les eaux stagnantes	Comportement de prévention	Animal-humain	Enlever ou couvrir les objets contenant de l'eau où les moustiques pondent leurs œufs réduira la population de moustiques et le risque de piqûres.	Hygiène et protection	dengue, fièvre de la vallée du Rift, fièvre jaune
	Taper	Transmission		Catégorie de comportement	Maladie Zoonoses Prioritaire

FHCC=fièvre hémorragique de Crimée-Congo

GAHP=grippe aviaire hautement pathogène

How to prioritize behaviors for research

Zoonotic diseases may spread from animals to people or between people in a variety of ways, and sometimes one zoonotic disease may be linked to a lot of risk behaviors. However, when doing rapid behavioral research particularly in an emergency setting, research teams have to prioritize which behaviors are most critical to explore.

Here are five criteria that teams can use to triage which behaviors should be explored through a research assessment.

Importance

How commonly does a risk behavior transmit the disease? How effectively does a prevention behavior prevent the disease? What evidence exists to support this claim? Is it reasonable to believe that if you were to change the behavior, that it would have a demonstrable impact on the public health outcome of interest? Choose behaviors that are most important in preventing or stopping an outbreak.

For example, globally 95% of human anthrax cases are cutaneous and spread through skin contact with infected animals, whereas infection through contact with contaminated soil is more rare. So if you have limited space in a questionnaire, exploring behaviors that involve unprotected contact with animals should be a priority. However, a localized understanding of how transmission occurs in the specific setting is critical.

Room to move

Are most people already performing the behavior we want? Choose behaviors where there is room to move or where most people are not already performing the recommended behavior.

For example, if data suggest that 98% of children in a certain setting are routinely vaccinated against yellow fever, then there is no reason to explore barriers to routine vaccination of children against yellow fever.

Intersection

Which behaviors intersect with multiple diseases of interest? Consider behaviors that cross-cut multiple diseases or health areas to maximize the benefit of your research.

For example, washing hands with soap after handling live or dead animals is a key prevention behavior for several diseases. This may be a higher priority behavior to investigate as opposed to something like cooking eggs thoroughly, which is linked to fewer diseases. However, keep in mind that you need focused and specific research to truly prevent and stop outbreaks.

Existing Literature

What is already known about drivers of this behavior? What can be inferred from research done in similar settings, and what is unique about this particular setting? Choose behaviors where there is less already known, and opt for a desk review or literature review when existing research covers the behaviors of interest.

For example, for Ebola Virus Disease in West Africa, there has been considerable behavioral research conducted on facilitators of safe burial practices (such as knowledge about the modes of transmission) due to several recent epidemics. New research could focus on topics where less is already known, such as perceptions of novel Ebola vaccines or other cultural factors that may drive an outbreak.

Malleability

Is the behavior malleable? What are the likely determinants of the behavior? Are the determinants ideational (knowledge, attitudes, social norms, self-efficacy, emotion)? Or are they environmental/structural? If ideational, is it reasonable to think they might be changed through a communications intervention? If environmental or structural, is it possible that small tweaks to the environment could make a big difference in the behavior? Or are the primary determinants unable to be addressed through the type of intervention that you have funding to implement?

For example, vaccinating dogs to prevent rabies is an important behavior but in some settings, cost and convenience may be important barriers to canine vaccination. People may already believe that rabies is a serious disease and that it is important to vaccinate dogs against rabies. In such a case, limited resources might be best spent on advocating to make canine vaccination free through mobile vaccination campaigns rather than exploring the cognitive barriers to canine vaccination against rabies.

A graph of a bell curve and a virus icon

Epidemic Phase

Is the disease circulating in animals and you hope to prevent it spreading to more animals? Do you need to stop the disease spreading from animals to people? Has the jump from animals to people already occurred, and now you need to stop limited person-to-person spread from becoming an outbreak or epidemic? The stage of the outbreak and your goals (prevention, detection, response) will determine the types of behaviors that take priority.

For example, avian influenza does not typically spread easily between humans, so in years where there is a lot of avian influenza activity in wild and domestic animals, you may want to focus on protective behaviors for people interacting with animals. However, since the virus can change and begin spreading rapidly in humans, you may also want to prepare for an epidemic by investigating behaviors that limit person-to-person transmission.