[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 206 (Thursday, December 19, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Page S7215]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SENATE RESOLUTION 462--DESIGNATING JANUARY 2020 AS ``NATIONAL ONE
HEALTH AWARENESS MONTH'' TO PROMOTE AWARENESS OF ORGANIZATIONS FOCUSED
ON PUBLIC HEALTH, ANIMAL HEALTH, AND ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH COLLABORATION
THROUGHOUT THE UNITED STATES AND TO RECOGNIZE THE CRITICAL
CONTRIBUTIONS OF THOSE ORGANIZATIONS TO THE FUTURE OF THE UNITED STATES
Mrs. FEINSTEIN (for herself, Ms. McSally, Ms. Smith, Mr. Brown, Mr.
King, Mr. Casey, and Mr. Peters) submitted the following resolution;
which was considered and agreed to:
S. Res. 462
Whereas One Health is a collaborative, multisectoral, and
transdisciplinary 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;
Whereas the mission of One Health is to establish closer
professional interactions, collaborations, and educational
opportunities across the various medical, veterinary, and
environmental health professions and their allied science
professions to simultaneously improve public health, animal
health, and environmental health;
Whereas the increasing threats posed by emerging diseases
shared between animals and people, foodborne, vector-borne,
and waterborne diseases, and other environmental factors may
support the need for an integrated effort by professionals
from multiple disciplines, including health, science,
technology, and engineering;
Whereas, according to the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, up to 75 percent of new or emerging infectious
diseases in people are spread by animals;
Whereas, each year, International One Health Day is
November 3; and
Whereas One Health is essential to combating and
strengthening the surveillance of emerging and reemerging
diseases: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Senate designates January 2020 as
``National One Health Awareness Month'' to--
(1) promote awareness of organizations that focus on One
Health efforts to improve the quality of life for people and
animals;
(2) recognize the efforts made by such organizations in
using a One Health approach to prevent epidemics; and
(3) recognize the importance of using the One Health
approach to simultaneously protect the health of people,
animals, plants, and the environment in the United States.
Mrs. FEINSTEIN. Mr. President, I rise to speak on the resolution that
Senator McSally and I introduced to declare January as ``National One
Health Awareness Month.''
``One Health'' is a term used by health experts--including those at
the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention--to focus on the
connections between human, animal, and environmental health.
Our resolution will help raise awareness for the ``One Health''
approach and promote efforts that simultaneously improve the health of
people, animals, plants, and the environment.
By using the One Health approach, global health problems including
antibiotic resistance, infectious disease spread, and sequestered
medical knowledge can be addressed.
Antibiotic resistance is of grave concern for both people and
animals. Public health specialists are working with physicians and
veterinarians to minimize inappropriate antibiotic usage in their
patients.
By 2050, according to the United Kingdom's 2014 Review on
Antimicrobial Resistance, experts expect that more people will die from
antibiotic resistant microbes than die from cancer today. The best way
to solve this growing problem is for specialists across a variety of
disciplines to collaborate to reduce antibiotic use by promoting good
sanitation and developing alternatives for antibiotics.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, up to 75
percent of new or emerging infectious diseases in people are spread by
animals. Examples include Ebola, Zika, Rabies, Tuberculosis, and
Plague. By destroying natural animal habitats through deforestation,
natural disasters, and climate change, we are forcing animals and
insects to migrate to new areas, thereby exposing humans to new
diseases.
In 2013, a two-year-old boy was the first victim of the Ebola
epidemic in Western Africa. In his small village, deforestation forced
the bats suspected of carrying the Ebola virus to move closer to
people.
Collaboration between physicians, nurses, physician assistants,
nurse's aids, veterinarians, hygienists, anthropologists,
epidemiologists, community engagement specialists, and military workers
helped end the Ebola epidemic by attacking it from different angles.
This was an example of One Health in action. Today, a similar
collaborative approach is working to end the current Ebola epidemic in
Central Africa.
In the United States, diseases such as Lyme disease, Anaplasma,
Bartonella, and Zika carried by ticks, fleas, and mosquitoes,
respectively, are also spreading to new areas.
In 2015, an 11-year-old Louisiana boy was accidently scratched by a
kitten with fleas. He was misdiagnosed by more than thirty doctors and
he became wheelchairbound. However, a ``One Health'' approach saved his
life. The boy was finally correctly diagnosed with a bacterial disease
acquired by the kitten's scratch once he met with a medical team that
included both a physician and a veterinarian. The veterinarian
understood that fleas can give cats bacteria and the physician
understood that a cat's scratch can transmit the bacteria to humans.
The boy was prescribed the antibiotics he needed, and he can now walk
again.
It is time that everybody understands the importance of One Health.
With diminishing resources in the environment and a growing human
population, now more than ever, fighting problems with a One Health
approach must be encouraged.
Thank you Mr. President. I yield the floor.
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