Veterinarian Workforce Role in Defense Against Animal Disease
by Justin C. Bennett
July 2010
Veterinarians are essential for controlling zoonotic diseases such as avian influenza, which spread between animals and humans. Most federal veterinarians work in the Departments of Agriculture (USDA), Defense (DOD), and Health and Human Services (HHS). However, there is a growing national shortage of veterinarians. This book determines the extent to which the federal government has assessed the sufficiency of its veterinarian workforce for routine activities, the extent to which the federal government has identified the veterinarian workforce needed during a catastrophic event and thirdly, the federal and state agencies encountered veterinarian workforce challenges during four recent zoonotic outbreaks. This book also discusses the 24 federal entities that were surveyed about their veterinarian workforce and analyzed agency workforce, pandemic, and other plans, as well as interviewed federal and state officials that responded to four recent zoonotic outbreaks.
