CDC Debuts Plan to Protect Humans & Animals From Shared Health Threats

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and the Department of the Interior (DOI) released the first-ever National One Health Framework to Address Zoonotic Diseases and Advance Public Health Preparedness in the United States.

One Health seeks to improve the health of humans, animals, and the environment by recognizing their close connections. The One Health approach provides a framework to navigate health threats shared between people and animals, such as COVID-19, mpox, bird flu, and Ebola.

At the direction of Congress in the 2023 Consolidated Appropriations Act, CDC, USDA, and DOI developed this framework to address zoonotic diseases and advance public health preparedness in the U.S. CDC, USDA, and DOI are responsible for protecting public health, domestic animal health, and wildlife and environmental health, respectively, and as such are representatives of key One Health sectors for the U.S. government. All three agencies historically address One Health issues and work to help control zoonotic diseases that affect both people and animals.

The framework seeks to inform One Health collaboration across the U.S. government for the next five years, describing a common vision, mission, and goals for key federal partners involved in implementing the One Health approach to address zoonotic diseases.

In developing this framework, the U.S. government is helping to ensure that the groundwork is laid for effective disease response in the future so that we can be better prepared for the next potential threat.

For more information about One Health and federal coordination of One Health efforts, click here.