Table 3.

Final criteria, criterion weights and associated question used for ranking the zoonotic diseases

Criterion	Criterion weight	Question and answer choices
Severity of disease	0.36	What is the case fatality ratea for the disease in animals and human in the ECOWAS region? • Case fatality rate in one or both sectors ≥ 15% – 2 points • Case fatality rate in one or both sectors ≥ 5—< 15% – 1 point • Case fatality rate in both sectors < 5% – 0 points
Prevention and control capacity	0.19	Is there any effective preventive or therapeutic measure (vaccine or antimicrobial) for humans and/or animals? • Animals and humans – 2 points • Animals or humans – –1 point • Neither – 0 points
Epidemic or pandemic potential	0.18	Has the pathogen caused an epidemic (human or animal) in the ECOWAS region? • Within the past 5 years – 2 points • Within the past ≥ 5 and < 10 years – 1 point • Never or more than 10 years ago – 0 points
Ability to detect	0.16	Is there a One Health surveillance systemb for this disease (investigation, laboratory, or data sharing) in the ECOWAS region? • For all three sectors – 2 points • For two sectors – 1 point • For one sector or none of the sectors – 0 points
Socio-economic and environmental impact	0.12	Is the disease on the OIE list of notifiable diseasesc and is the disease potentially affected by climate change (host range, vector or reservoir)? • Yes to both – 2 points • Yes to one – 1 point • No – 0 points

^a If data from the ECOWAS region was not available, global data was used

^b If five or more ECOWAS countries had a surveillance system for a disease in a particular sector, the sector was considered to have a surveillance system for that disease

^c The OIE list was agreed upon by the Member States as a proxy to measure socio-economic impact