Zoonoses, diseases that are transmitted from animals to humans, now pose a growing threat to public health. Their emergence is fueled by climate change, the destruction of natural habitats, and the intensification of human activities. Lyme disease is a good example of this trend: rising temperatures and the fragmentation of forest environments are promoting the proliferation of ticks and the spread of the bacteria they carry. In this context, veterinarian and epidemiologist Cécile Aenishaenslin, a professor at the University of Montreal, has made it her mission to develop and evaluate innovative programs for the prevention of emerging infectious diseases, based on the integrated “One Health” approach, which recognizes the interdependence of human, animal, and environmental health.
To achieve this, her team combines epidemiological methods and qualitative approaches. Researchers analyze both human behavior and environmental factors to design integrated intervention models. The municipality of Bromont, in the Eastern Townships, where tick-related risks are among the highest in Quebec, served as a testing ground. For five years, the team combined citizen mobilization with targeted environmental treatments—for example, distributing acaricide baits to reduce the presence of ticks on small rodents. The results showed a measurable decrease in environmental risk and greater public awareness.
Building on this success, the project expanded with the “Parc en santé” initiative, carried out in six natural parks in the Greater Montreal area, in partnership with the Société des établissements de plein air du Québec (Sépaq), several municipalities, and the Public Health Agency of Canada. This work aims to reduce the risk of infection while strengthening the connection between the population and its natural environment. By integrating citizen science, the team encourages the public to adopt behaviors that promote health and ecosystem conservation. The long-term goal is clear: to enable communities to better manage their health risks while preserving biodiversity.
Références
Pelletier, J., Rocheleau, J.-P., Bouchard, C., Baron, G., Coatsworth, H., Dibernardo, A., Fernandez-Prada, C., Ogden, N. H., Potes, L., Leighton, P. A., et Aenishaenslin, C. (2025). Rodent-targeted fluralaner baiting reduces the density of Borrelia burgdorferi-infected questing Ixodes scapularis ticks in a peri-urban setting in southern Canada. Ticks and Tick-Borne Diseases, 16(2), 102467. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ttbdis.2025.102467
Potes, L., Bouchard, C., Rocheleau, J.-P., Richard, L., Leighton, P. A., Pelletier, J., Baron, G., et Aenishaenslin, C. (2023). Evaluation of a community-based One Health intervention to reduce the risk of Lyme disease in a high-incidence municipality. CABI One Health, 2(1). https://doi.org/10.1079/cabionehealth.2023.0017
Bowser, N., Bouchard, C., Robertson, M., Hongoh, V., Richard, L., Leighton, P., Carabin, H., et Aenishaenslin, C. (2025). Evaluation of a community-based One Health intervention to reduce the risk of Lyme disease in a high-incidence municipality. BMC Public Health, 25, article 24042. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-025-24042-y