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The University of California is no stranger to navigating pandemics, from COVID-19 to bird flu. Read how UC campuses and health locations, in partnership with state and federal agencies, are mitigating current public health emergencies and preparing for future threats to health security.

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

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