The North American Veterinary Community, publisher of Today’s Veterinary Business, has launched a grassroots advocacy and awareness campaign to engage veterinary professionals and the broader pet-loving community in support of legislation to better prevent and respond to the spread of zoonotic diseases.
The NAVC is utilizing its diverse platform, network and community of more than 500,000 animal health professionals to promote awareness of and support for the One Health Act, which was introduced by veterinarian and Oregon Congressman Kurt Schrader. A key component of NAVC’s advocacy and awareness campaign is a podcast with veterinarian and Florida Congressman Ted Yoho, a co-sponsor of the One Health Act.
“As veterinarians, we have dealt with the coronavirus for four to five decades in cattle, horses, dogs, cats and other animals,” Congressman Yoho said. “We are always focused and tuned into the prevention side and by being prepared, we can get ahead of the curve, anticipate these diseases and better respond.”
The One Health Act requires the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Agriculture, in coordination with other agencies and departments, to create a plan for addressing zoonotic disease outbreaks like coronaviruses. The plan, called the One Health Framework, will outline how agencies share information and engage in fieldwork to help better prevent, prepare for and respond to zoonotic disease outbreaks.
“Zoonotic diseases, or illnesses that spread between animals and humans, can be fatal,” NAVC CEO Gene O’Neill said. “We cannot wait for another catastrophic disease such as the coronavirus to come about before taking unified action to prevent and address these illnesses.
“Human health, animal health and the environment are all interconnected. We need a national framework that interconnects all of our federal agencies and departments to better prepare for, respond to and ultimately prevent the spread of diseases. NAVC is leveraging its platforms and community to support legislation that does just that.”
The NAVC launched its national advocacy program, Embrace, in January 2020 at the annual VMX conference.
Messages in support of the One Health Act can be sent to congressional leaders from the Embrace website, NAVC.com/Embrace.
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