Unawareness About Vector-Borne Diseases Among Citizens as a Health Risk Consequence of Climate Change—A Case Study on Leishmaniosis in Northwest Portugal

An unprecedented change in climate and consequently an increase in the number and geographic dissemination of vectors have occurred in the last decades worldwide as well as in Portugal. Vector-borne diseases are infections transmitted by the bite of infected arthropod species. Among them, the incidence of leishmaniosis/leishmaniasis (transmitted through the bite of phlebotomine insects) is increasing in Portugal both in animals and humans. In this chapter, the authors want to present the results of a case study aiming to assess the leishmaniosis awareness of citizens in the Northwest of Portugal. Following the bibliographic review and the realization of two focus groups with citizens, a draft questionnaire was constructed, tested and personally administered to citizens (n = 291) for five months and three days per week in the district of Braga in the northwest of Portugal. Only a participants minority vaccinate their animals to prevent this disease, even if 62.5% had heard about the disease. More than half (56.0%) are unaware of the zoonotic potential of leishmaniosis. It seems that there is a need to inform but also to communicate as even those who seem to have knowledge still adopt risk behaviours. In the context of climate change, both disease and unawareness pose health risks that need to be mitigated. For this purpose, the authors suggest that the investment in health communication should be jointly done by the animal, human and environmental health professionals in a One Health perspective to address these hazards.