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Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
U.S. Department of Agriculture

One Health

Last Modified: Nov 18, 2020
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Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19)

Get the latest information directly from the CDC website at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html.
Animal-specific information is available at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/animals/pets-other-animals.html.
Useful Information FAQs on Testing Animals Guidance
  • Guidance for Farmed Mink 
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  • Interim Guidance for Animal Health and Public Health Officials Managing Farmed Mink and other Farmed Mustelids with SARS-CoV-2​
    English  |  Spanish

One Health (OH)

One Health is a collaborative, multisectoral, and trans-disciplinary approach—working at the local, regional, national, and global levels—with the goal of achieving optimal health outcomes recognizing the interconnection between people, animals, plants, and their shared environment.

A One Health approach embraces the idea that complex problems that affect the health of humans, animals, and the environment are best solved through improved communication, cooperation, and collaboration across disciplines and sectors. Complex problems require a “whole system” approach to identify the elements, see relationships and patterns, identify potential root causes and determine the course of action.

Throughout its history, our organization has played a central role in protecting the health of American animal agriculture. We’ve offered essential services related to the import and export of animals, animal products, and biologics; emergency preparedness and response; animal disease diagnostics; animal vaccine development; and disease surveillance, control, and eradication.

It’s part of our vision that VS will be nationally engaged in response, research, and service by continuing to build an organization that encourages innovative thinking, action, and productive collaborations. The One Health realm is an area where VS contributes its extensive animal health expertise and experience to address the animal component of One Health issues.

APHIS Veterinary Services coordinates and helps implement the One Health aspects of our vision, mission and goals as outlined in Veterinary Services: A New Perspective. Since 2012, VS has strengthened multi-sector responses to zoonotic diseases and other complex issues that intersect the AHEI and promote a One Health approach to these issues.

VS works with internal and external partners to strengthen interagency coordination and address OH issues. VS helps promote collaboration across sectors by identifying and developing policies, procedures and tools that help define when and how different sectors can work together.

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