All animals carry diseases.
In most cases these diseases are only a health threat to other animals of the same kind. In some cases however these diseases can spread to humans, resulting in problems ranging from annoyance or slight discomfort to life threatening illnesses. In Canada, due to a cooler northern climate and well-developed health care and education system the number of zoonoses that exist is not nearly as high as those in more tropical countries. This factsheet is the first in a series that looks at common zoonoses. In addition there are also factsheets available on specific diseases.