Letter to the Hon. Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House, the Hon. Kevin McCarthy, Minority Leader, the Hon. Steny Hoyer, Majority Leader, and the Hon. Steve Scalise, Minority Whip - Urges House Leadership to recognize the connection between animal, human and environmental health to address COVID-19

Letter

Dear Speaker Pelosi, Minority Leader McCarthy, Majority Leader Hoyer and Minority Whip
Scalise:

We write to encourage you to include robust funding for animal disease prevention and response
efforts and infrastructure in the next economic relief package. As we respond to the COVID-19
pandemic, Congress must consider how to prevent similar pandemics and outbreaks from
occurring in the future--and a One Health framework would be an invaluable preparedness tool.

The current novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic illustrates the importance of understanding
the links between human and animal health, and how a One Health approach is essential to our
knowledge of these diseases. One Health is the concept that the health of humans, animals, and
the environment are inextricably linked. Coronaviruses, including COVID-19, originate in
animals--like camels, civets and bats--and are usually not transmissible to humans. However, a
coronavirus can mutate and pass from animals to humans and then from human to human, as was the case with the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) epidemic in the early 2000s and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

The United States must remain on the cutting edge of research into animal, human, and
environmental health. Investing in public health infrastructure across a One Health framework to
address zoonotic and reverse zoonotic diseases will improve the safety of our families and food
supply chain.

Given the significant and far-reaching social and economic consequences of zoonotic diseases, it
is critical that we prioritize a One Health approach in the next coronavirus response package.
Successful public health preparedness and response efforts require the cooperation and
coordination of the human, animal and environmental health communities --as well as improved
coordination across the federal government.

Additionally, the National Animal Health Laboratory Network (NAHLN) has been a valuable
tool for dealing with the influx of COVID-19 testing needs. NAHLN laboratories have long
provided early detection of significant animal disease, rapid response to the presence of a
confirmed disease and appropriate recovery from an outbreak.

We ask that you continue to support research funding in response to COVID-19 with animal
health in mind to continue to keep our country safe.