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Background: The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the need for timely, evidence-based rapid risk assessments (RRA) of infectious disease events to inform public health action during rapidly evolving situations with high uncertainty. In 2022, the Public Health Agency of Canada established a coordinated approach to public health risk assessment, including a methodology for qualitative RRA of infectious disease threats., Objective: To describe the RRA methodology and illustrate its use with examples from different infectious hazards of public health concern., Methods: The RRA methodology employs the risk pathway to describe the sequence of events leading from a hazard's source to the adverse event of concern and subsequent impacts; define specific questions to be addressed; and identify relevant knowledge gaps, limitations and recommendations. Qualitative likelihood and impact estimates are derived through integration of evidence review and expert opinion and are communicated together with corresponding levels of uncertainty. The impacts of the event are based on an assessment of the most likely spread scenario within Canada, considering individual-level impact on affected individuals, the impact on the general population and, if relevant, sub-groups at higher risk., Results: This RRA approach aligns with well-established international methods and provides flexibility to accommodate a broad range of risk questions. It has been implemented to estimate the risk of various threats of concern to Canada, including mpox, avian influenza A(H5N1) and measles., Conclusion: Given the broad range and complexity of public health hazards, RRAs provide a timely, coordinated and systematic process for characterizing and communicating the risk to inform risk mitigation and decision-making and to guide appropriate public health response., Competing Interests: Competing interests None.

The advice contained in this document should be read in conjunction with relevant federal, provincial, territorial and local legislation, regulations, and policies. Recommended measures should not be regarded as rigid standards, but principles and recommendations to inform the development of guidance. This advice is based on currently available scientific evidence and adopts a precautionary approach where the evidence is lacking or inconclusive. It was approved for publication on December 5, 2016. It is subject to review and change as new information becomes available. The main changes to this version include additions to: Case load reported to date, Sarcoidosis-like disease as an Indicator, Whole Genome Sequencing effort, links to Provincial and Territorial Lab Services and Health Canada reporting., Competing Interests: Conflicts of interest: None.