Canada faces a significant crisis in communicable diseases as it can no longer depend on the United States for reliable health data. This development follows years of major cuts to U.S. public health institutions. These cuts have eroded their capacity to surveil infectious diseases and respond to emerging pandemic threats.
It is particularly alarming that in recent years, the U.S. health department has drastically slashed its own workforce. This step is one of many recent federal actions to rein in costs. This cut has affected the availability and reliability of data 3. Even more seriously, it has hindered estimates of long-term trends and planning for the response in Canada and around the world. Previously, Canada relied heavily on U.S. data to monitor infectious diseases, but the current situation raises concerns about future preparedness.
Their decline comes at the same time that health misinformation and distrust is on the rise in the U.S. This environment further muddies Canada’s health landscape. Especially in the age of COVID, we see how misinformation can easily cross borders and influence public perception and behavior in ways that undermine health.
Deteriorating Public Health Infrastructure
Yet the U.S. has slashed public health funding by tens of billions of dollars. Ultimately, our national capacity to monitor and respond to emerging infectious diseases is at its lowest point. Programs aimed at new and emerging threats, like avian influenza and the global HIV pandemic, have been slashed. This decline has left their immediate international rival—Canada—more exposed than ever.
Dr. Shannan Charlebois and Dr. Jasmine Pawa highlight the gravity of this situation, stating, “A crisis of communicable diseases is unfolding in North America, just as Canada’s health systems’ responses are being hampered by the dismantling of public health and research infrastructure in the United States.” They emphasize that these changes pose immediate and long-term risks to the health of neighboring countries and to global health.
Canada is already experiencing troubling trends. Since February, Ontario has had more confirmed measles cases than the rest of the United States combined. Yet at the same time, Canada is facing an unprecedented rise in syphilis and HIV. The lack of readily available, real-time data on normal vaccination coverage exacerbates these issues. As a result, public health officials are often left with little time to formulate an effective response.
Strengthening Canada’s Surveillance Systems
Experts and public health advocates have for years wanted Canada to strengthen its surveillance systems. At a time when dependence on U.S. data is surely fading, shoring up national capacity becomes more important than ever. Canada must clarify its vaccination coverage rates and closely monitor patterns of antimicrobial resistance to comply with World Health Organization international health regulations.
The urgency for strong surveillance activity, such as Sentinel Surveillance, is physician-led public health response at its finest. Now U.S. health officials themselves are the ones “seeding misinformation,” according to Dr. Charlebois and Dr. Pawa. This places Canadians in peril by allowing misinformation to have a measurable influence on Canadian public health opinion. They state, “People in Canada are vulnerable to a cross-border bleed of not only microorganisms but of attitudes, health misinformation and exposure to biased U.S. media.”
The Path Forward for Canada
Despite the challenges posed by the current situation in the United States, Canada has an opportunity to enhance its public health strategies and infrastructure. By investing in local capacity and improving data collection systems, Canada can better manage communicable diseases and protect its population.
The persistent crisis that we are all living through underscores the need for greater foresight and precaution in public health policymaking. As Canada grapples with rising disease rates and misinformation, strengthening its own health systems will be essential for safeguarding national and global health.
