[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 68 (Thursday, April 26, 2007)]
[Senate]
[Page S5221]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. LIEBERMAN (for himself, Mr. Brownback, and Mr. Akaka):
  S. 1246. A bill to establish and maintain a wildlife global animal 
information network for surveillance internationally to combat the 
growing threat of emerging diseases that involve wild animals, such as 
bird flu, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Health, 
Education, Labor, and Pensions.
  Mr. LIEBERMAN. Mr. President, today, Senator Brownback, Senator 
Akaka, and I are introducing legislation that establishes a wildlife 
global animal information network for surveillance to enhance 
preparedness and awareness of emerging infectious diseases.
  More than 60 percent of the approximately 1,400 currently known 
infectious diseases are shared between wildlife and humans. Over the 
past 30 years we have had many emerging infectious disease outbreaks, 
including hantavirus, plague, ebola, HIV/AIDS, SARS, and H5N1 
influenza. In fact, more than 35 new infectious diseases have emerged 
in humans since 1980, which means that approximately one new infectious 
disease in humans has appeared every 8 months. These diseases have 
resulted in many deaths and billions of dollars in costs.
  Millions of wild animals are traded globally and come into contact 
with humans and dozens of other species, contributing to the 
introduction of new diseases in humans. There are numerous examples of 
these spreading viruses that pose significant threats across the globe. 
For instance, the spreading H5N1 virus, a highly pathogenic avian 
influenza (HPAI) strain, is a significant threat to global human 
health, the global poultry industry, and the global economy more 
generally. The emerging infectious disease HIV/AIDS, whose origin has 
been traced back to the human consumption of African nonhuman primates, 
has had a devastating impact in the developing world, with over 40 
million people worldwide living with HIV/AIDS and 3 million AIDS deaths 
globally in 2006. Despite the threats that these and future diseases 
pose, we lack a comprehensive and coordinated approach to monitoring 
these emerging infectious diseases and the nexus between wildlife, 
people, and domestic animals.
  Our legislation would establish a Wildlife Global Animal Information 
Network for Surveillance (GAINS). This Wildlife GAINS system would 
include Federal and State agency partners, multilateral agency 
partners, conservation organizations with expertise in wildlife 
monitoring and surveillance, veterinary and medical schools, and other 
national and international partners. The legislation encourages the 
establishment of critical public-private partnerships because of the 
unique strengths and capabilities that NGOs have in developing 
countries. They will play a key role in assisting developing countries 
develop much needed surveillance mechanisms and in facilitating the 
dissemination of critical data to all partners.
  USAID has taken a leadership role and already committed $192 million 
for avian influenza preparedness and response activities in developing 
countries affected by the H5N1 virus. Congress must support these 
efforts establishing a comprehensive worldwide wildlife health 
surveillance system to detect and track emerging infectious diseases.
  Wildlife GAINS would be a comprehensive tool to prevent the outbreak 
and spread of new diseases that have no treatments or cures. We must 
prevent and detect the next generation of infectious diseases to 
prevent the pain and suffering that diseases such as HIV/AIDS and H5N1 
have caused millions all over the world.
  Mr. AKAKA. President, I rise to join my colleagues, Senators 
Lieberman and Brownback in introducing legislation establishing a 
wildlife global animal information network for detection of emerging, 
highly contagious diseases in non-agricultural animals. This bill is an 
important part of efforts to prevent and respond to natural or 
intentional pandemic disease outbreaks in the U.S.
  Our legislation focuses on the source of nearly all pandemic disease 
outbreaks over the last 30 years--zoonotic diseases, or diseases that 
originate in animals, either agricultural or non-agricultural, and, 
through mutation, are passed to humans. Avian influenza, West Nile 
Virus and severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) are all zoonotic 
diseases originating in animals and subsequently transmitted to humans. 
The prevalence of such diseases underscores the need to link veterinary 
health and public health arenas. America's infrastructure for pandemic 
flu preparedness and response should therefore include the ability to 
monitor zoonotic diseases, creating an early warning and response 
system which will alert public health officials and animal health 
experts at the emergence of highly contagious diseases before they are 
passed to humans.
  The global animal information network for surveillance proposed in 
this bill has its roots in the activities of the U.S. Agency for 
International Development (USAID) to assist countries dealing with the 
most recent outbreak of the H5N1 strain of avian influenza. In close 
cooperation with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 
the Departments of State, Defense, Agriculture, Homeland Security and 
the Wildlife Conservation Society, USAID is providing assistance to 
those countries most hard hit by avian influenza. To date, animal 
outbreaks have been reported in 55 countries, and 12 countries have had 
confirmed human cases. A total of 291 humans have been infected, 
resulting in 172 deaths. This translates into a case fatality rate of 
roughly 60 percent.
  To date, USAID has committed a total of $192 million for avian 
influenza assistance activities in these countries for preparedness and 
response. The goal of its activities is to lower the amount of 
circulating virus and limiting the opportunity for people to become 
infected with avian flu.
  Despite these efforts, many of which have demonstrated the 
effectiveness of interventions being used to control the spread of 
avian flu, this zoonotic disease continues to mutate and as such, 
persist as a threat, both to animals and to people. The animal 
surveillance network being proposed in this bill is one critical tool 
to detect other wildlife-based emergent contagious diseases before they 
impact humans and agricultural animals.
  While detecting and preventing these highly contagious diseases is 
critical for human health and economic stability, I would like to 
emphasize that, as the Government Accountability Office (GAO) observed 
in a 2000 report entitled ``West Nile Virus Outbreak: Lessons for 
Public Health Preparedness'', on the West Nile Virus outbreak in New 
York City, ``Because a bioterrorist event could look like a natural 
outbreak, bioterrorism preparedness rests in large part on public 
health preparedness.'' Creating early warning tools such as this one 
can aid efforts to protect the U.S. from natural outbreaks and 
deliberate bioterrorist attacks. While the network alone does not 
protect us, it does contribute to the mosaic of homeland security 
activities designed to protect Americans, and those in other countries 
most vulnerable to bioterrorist attacks.
  It is for this reason that I am pleased to join Senators Lieberman 
and Brownback in introducing this bill and urge its support.

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