[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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