Veterinary Services to Improve Public Health in Rural Communities Act
Veterinary Services to Improve Public Health in Rural Communities Act
Plain Language Summary
# Veterinary Services to Improve Public Health in Rural Communities Act - Summary **What It Does:** This bill expands veterinary health services in tribal communities to help prevent and control diseases that spread between animals and humans (like bird flu or rabies). It allows the Department of Health and Human Services to use funds through the Indian Health Service to deploy veterinary public health officers to areas where these animal-to-human diseases are a concern. The bill also requires HHS to report to Congress every two years on how the money is being spent and what diseases are being monitored. **Who It Affects:** The bill primarily affects tribal communities and rural areas served by the Indian Health Service, as well as the U.S.
Public Health Service officers who may be assigned to work in these regions. It aims to improve disease prevention in areas where zoonotic diseases (infections that jump from animals to people) pose a greater risk. **Current Status:** The bill has passed the Senate and is pending action in the House of Representatives.
CRS Official Summary
Veterinary Services to Improve Public Health in Rural Communities ActThis bill expands support for public health veterinary services (e.g., disease surveillance or vaccination) in tribal communities to address zoonotic infectious diseases (i.e., diseases that spread between humans and animals).Specifically, the bill authorizes the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), acting through the Indian Health Service (IHS), to expend funds for public health veterinary services to prevent and control zoonotic disease infection and transmission in IHS areas where the risk for disease occurrence in humans and wildlife is endemic.HHS may assign or deploy veterinary public health officers from the U.S. Public Health Service (USPHS) Commissioned Corps to IHS areas.Additionally, HHS must submit a biennial report to Congress on the use of funds, the assignment and deployment of veterinary public health officers from the USPHS Commissioned Corps, data related to the monitoring and disease surveillance of zoonotic diseases, and related services.The bill also includes the IHS as a coordinating agency in the National One Health Framework. (This framework addresses zoonotic diseases and advances public health preparedness in the United States.)The bill requires the Department of Agriculture to conduct a feasibility study on the delivery of oral rabies vaccines to wildlife reservoir species that are connected to the transmission of rabies to tribal members living in Arctic regions of the United States. The study must (1) evaluate the efficacy of the oral rabies vaccines, and (2) make recommendations to improve the delivery of these vaccines.
Latest Action
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