Pandemic Preparedness
The University of California is a Critical State Partner in Health Security
Dairy cows in California have a new requirement meeting them: a negative test for H5n1 or “bird flu.”
These tests are handled by the California Animal Health and Food Safety Laboratory System – the backbone of California's warning system that helps to protect the health of California's livestock and, thereby, the lives of Californians.
Through a partnership between the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine and the California Department of Food and Agriculture, the California Animal Health and Food Safety Laboratory System (CAHFS) program is a safeguard for public health. With locations in Davis, Turlock, Tulare and San Bernardino – each strategically located to meet the agriculture industry needs of the surrounding area – the program provides quality services, like H5N1 testing, intended to protect animal health and performance, public health and California’s food supply.
Veterinarians as state partners and first-line responders in pandemic response
Bird flu is not the first zoonotic disease to significantly alter the public health landscape, nor will it be the last. Salmonella. Zika. COVID-19 –these recent and ongoing pandemics emphasize that zoonotic disease threats are ever-present and carry a growing risk not just to animal health, but to global public health.
That’s why the UC Davis One Health approach guides the work of the nation’s #1 veterinary school. One Health “recognizes the interconnectedness of animal, human, and environmental health” and is essential in addressing global diseases while advancing the health and conservation of our ecosystem.