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APHIS’ American Rescue Plan (ARP) Surveillance Program: Strategic Framework 

Goal: Conduct thorough surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 in susceptible animals by building an early 

warning system to alert public health partners to take steps sooner to potentially prevent or limit the next 

zoonotic disease outbreak or the next global pandemic.

Background 

Up to 75 percent of emerging infectious diseases in humans are zoonotic, impacting the health of both 

humans and animals. Over the past two decades, we have experienced devastating outbreaks caused by 

these diseases, including West Nile virus, H1N1 influenza, and Ebola virus. In each of these, we remained 

largely unaware of the potential threat until we started seeing illnesses – and deaths – in humans.

Early detection and response to pathogens with zoonotic potential while still in animals is essential in 

limiting or preventing human outbreaks. Addressing zoonotic diseases and other health issues at the 

human-animal-environment interfaces and identifying opportunities for collaboration and joint action 

between these sectors is referred to as One Health. In 2016, the United States completed an external 

review of our national capacity1 to rapidly identify and respond to emerging zoonoses and other human 

health threats using a multisectoral, One Health approach. Critical gaps identified included: lack of 

surveillance tools and strategies for the rapid detection, and characterization of emerging and re-emerging 

pathogens at the human-animal-environment interfaces; inconsistent linkages between human and animal 

surveillance, and laboratory systems; and challenges with data collection, exchange, analysis, and 

reporting. 

In December 2017, the U.S. Department of Agriculture partnered with the Centers for Disease Control 

and Prevention (CDC) and the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) to organize a One Health Zoonotic 

Disease Prioritization Workshop2 to identify the zoonotic diseases of greatest national concern that should 

be jointly addressed. Notably, emerging coronaviruses, which includes SARS-CoV-2, were fifth on the 

list. Sometime during 2019, SARS-CoV-2 became the next emerging zoonotic disease that was detected 

only after it was well established in humans. Public health authorities were left with extremely limited and 

largely ineffective options for controlling spread and preventing the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Congress provided USDA $300 million through the American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act3 to conduct 

monitoring and surveillance of susceptible animals for SARS-CoV-2, addressing the long-standing need 

to strengthen our ability for early detection of emerging and zoonotic diseases in animals. We developed 

this Strategic Framework to build One Health capacity and improve the country’s ability to prevent, 

detect, report, and respond to SARS-CoV-2, including potential emerging variants. This investment will 

also strengthen our ability to detect other current and future emerging and zoonotic diseases. Collectively, 

the key actions within this framework enable USDA to build an early warning system to alert public 

1 United States Health Security National Action Plan: Strengthening Implementation of the International Health Regulations based 

on the 2016 Joint External Evaluation. Available from https://www.phe.gov/Preparedness/international/Documents/jee-nap508.pdf 2 Prioritizing Zoonotic Diseases for Multisectoral, One Health Collaboration in the United States – Workshop Summary, 

available from https://www.cdc.gov/onehealth/pdfs/us-ohzdp-report-508.pdf 3 American Rescue Plan Act, Public Law 117-2, signed March 11, 2021.
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health partners to take steps sooner to potentially prevent or limit the next zoonotic disease outbreak, or 

the next global pandemic. 

APHIS’ Strategic Framework, funded by the ARP, is outlined in the table below. Our focus is on building a 

robust surveillance system that provides information for action to address the immediate threat to human and 

animal health presented by SARS-CoV-2 and emerging variants. This includes:

• expanding surveillance to a wide range of animal species, including but not limited to, farmed 

animals, free-ranging and captive wildlife, peridomestic animals, and companion animals; 

• increasing diagnostic testing capability and capacity; and 

• conducting multisectoral, One Health investigations of new animal detections and exposures. 

USDA and our One Health partners will have the essential information needed to develop and evaluate 

effective interventions, prioritize research efforts to safeguard animal health, prevent transmission at the 

human-animal interface, and minimize potential impacts to the food supply for both humans and animals. 

This framework creates the foundation for an early warning system that offers public health partners the 

opportunity to act sooner, and potentially prevent or limit the next zoonotic disease outbreak, or the next 

global pandemic. 

Table: Strategic Framework Focal Areas and Associated Elements 

PREVENT

•Improve national, regional and 

global collaboration to build 

additional capacity in One Health 

and multidisciplinary surveillance 

and control measures to help the 

United States safeguard against 

the entry of diseases in the first 

place

• Support and contribute to global 

surveillance and early warning 

systems that generate and share 

data and information to improve 

prevention, detection and control

• Strengthen early warning system 

capacity to identify new 

emerging threats to prevent future 

pandemics

• Prioritize research and capacitybuilding measures to address 

gaps in prevention 

•Work with One Health partners 

to identify risks and plan 

effective interventions to prevent 

transmission at the human-animal 

interface and/or impacts to the 

food supply 

DETECT

• Partner with Agricultural 

Research Service, Federal, 

academic and industry partners to 

identify and prioritize research 

needs, including improving how 

we find new cases and 

susceptible animals sooner

•Work with One Health partners 

to strengthen surveillance tools 

and strategies for rapid detection 

and characterization of SARSCoV-2 and emerging variants

• Strengthen diagnostic laboratory 

capability and capacity, methods, 

and reporting for early detection 

of emerging pathogens and 

variants in animals

• Advance data management 

reporting capabilities, including 

exchange and integration of 

critical information needed to 

protect both human and animal 

health

INVESTIGATE and 

CONTROL SPREAD

• Strengthen and standardize 

multisectoral and multiagency 

field epidemiology capacity, 

including investigation of new 

detections of SARS-CoV-2 or 

emerging variants to guide 

immediate control efforts to 

prevent further transmission

•Engage One Health partners to 

use surveillance data to plan and 

evaluate interventions and 

programs to minimize the risk to 

human health, animal health, and 

the food supply 

•Ensure that the National 

Veterinary Stockpile has supplies 

and equipment needed to protect 

investigation teams from risk of 

zoonotic transmission and 

potential spillover events

• Partner with CDC on One Health 

workforce development and 

training opportunities to build a 

skilled cadre of professionals to 

manage and lead activites in all 

focal areas

OUTREACH and

EDUCATION

•Extensive communication and 

outreach to diverse and 

historically underserved 

populations, including tribal, 

minority and underserved 

farmers, ranchers, and 

communities to identify and 

address potential gaps in 

Strategic Framework

• Strengthen coordinated 

messaging efforts to ensure 

dissemination of accurate and 

timely messages to the public to 

help prevent disease.

•Expand partnerships with 

academia, industry and nongovernmental entities to 

broaden reach of science-based 

and data-driven communication 

efforts

● Research to Address Knowledge Gaps ● Communication ● Monitoring and Evaluation

● Leverage Technology and Information Management ● Develop data and information sharing systems with One Health partners

Cross-Cutting Activities
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Year One Objective: Address immediate threat presented by SARS-CoV-2 

Strategy 1.1: Improve our understanding of susceptibility, transmission, and disease processes to plan 

effective prevention, surveillance, and response activities.

Focus Area: Detect

Elements: 

• Expand partnerships with Agricultural Research Service at the Foreign Animal Disease 

Diagnostic Laboratories (FADDL – Plum Island), the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility 

(NBAF), the National Veterinary Services Laboratories (NVSL), and with other federal, 

academic and industry partners to strengthen research and diagnostic laboratory capability and 

capacity, address gaps in validated diagnostic tests for SARS-CoV-2 in wildlife and highthroughput capacity, and improve how we find new cases and susceptible animals sooner. 

• Work with the CDC and other One Health partners to build a national One Health framework 

to strengthen surveillance tools and strategies for rapid detection and characterization of 

emerging and zoonotic pathogens at the human-animal-environment interfaces, including: 

• Review COVID-19 response activities from fiscal years 2020 and 2021 and incorporate 

lessons learned. 

• Identify enhancements to animal surveillance diagnostic capability and capacity. 

• Connect surveillance and laboratory systems, including the ability to exchange and 

integrate critical information needed to protect both human and animal health.

• Plan and implement initial surveillance sampling from a broad range of animal species 

to evaluate susceptibility and develop science-based strategies to prioritize testing and 

surveillance in species at highest risk of transmission.

• Identify and prioritize critical enhancements to data management and reporting. 

• Build capability and capacity to detect coronavirus in wildlife and other species, including:

• Strengthen and standardize procedures and processes for sample collection and 

processing to improve reliability of results.

• Develop and validate coronavirus diagnostic tests to ensure comparability of 

surveillance results with other countries.

• Build critical additional laboratory capacity to test increased numbers of samples from 

wildlife species.

• Establish performance metrics and framework for ongoing evaluation of program 

effectiveness.

Focus Area: Investigate and Control Spread 

Elements: 

• Strengthen and standardize multisectoral, One Health field epidemiology capacity to 

investigate new detections of SARS-CoV-2, identify additional infections and prevent further 

transmission and spillover events. 

• Establish criteria (triggers) and processes for coordinated, multisectoral investigations 

for detections or exposure events in animals with federal and state/local/territorial/tribal

One Health partners including animal and public health, wildlife, environmental and 

related entities. 

• Develop investigation protocols, including sampling strategies, particularly for 

developing high-risk areas at the animal-human interface.
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• Partner with CDC and other federal One Health partners on workforce development and 

training opportunities for epidemiologists and other technical experts that integrate One Health 

principles to strengthen coordination during surveillance and field investigations of new cases 

of disease. 

• Ensure that the National Veterinary Stockpile has the necessary disinfectants, personal 

protective equipment, and other supplies needed to protect investigation teams from zoonotic 

transmission risks and prevent spillover events. 

• Engage One Health partners to use surveillance data to plan and evaluate interventions/programs 

that minimize risks to human and animal health and the food supply. 

Strategy 1.2: Equitable and effective communication and outreach with partners and stakeholders.

Focus Area: Outreach

Elements: 

• Engage stakeholders to share information about our plans and provide meaningful 

opportunities for all interested entities to review and comment on our draft framework.

Year 2+ Objective: Improve APHIS’ ability to prevent, detect, report, and respond to emerging and 

zoonotic diseases, including SARS-CoV-2, in the United States earlier

Strategy 2.1: Strengthen measures for preventing emerging and zoonotic diseases at the human-animalenvironment interfaces.

Focus Area: Prevent

Elements: 

• Leverage our specialized International Services and partnerships with the Tripartite

Collaboration4 organizations to build additional capacity in multisectoral, One Health 

prevention, detection, and response globally. Identify opportunities to harmonize efforts with 

those within the Global Health Security Agenda (GHSA), to help the United States safeguard 

against the entry of diseases. Initial focus will include: 

• Improving communication and collaboration across sectors to strengthen foundational 

surveillance, health security, and trade systems infrastructure and continuity.

• Enhancing collaborations with global and regional animal health organizations to 

provide critical diplomatic relations and technical expertise to strengthen emerging 

disease surveillance and ability to link and analyze data to improve early warning 

systems and inform prevention and safeguarding efforts.

• Working with partners and stakeholders to identify and mitigate risks and potential 

pathways for disease introduction. 

• Strengthen indicator-based (syndromic) surveillance tools, information sharing, and early 

warning system capacities to identify new threats such as new variants or other factors 

involved in virulence or resistance to existing treatments, as well as effective prevention 

measures to prevent future pandemics. Identify opportunities to link with other One Health 

4 Organizations are: Food and Agriculture Organization of United Nations (FAO), World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE), 

and World Health Organization (WHO)
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surveillance systems designed to detect emerging threats, such as antimicrobial-resistance 

bacteria and others. 

• Expand collaborations with ARS and other research partners to identify and prioritize research 

needs on effective prevention measures, diagnostic tests and methods and other tools to 

identify new cases and susceptible animals sooner and prevent future pandemics. 

• Work with One Health partners to identify risks, effective interventions, and other measures to 

prevent transmission at the human-animal interface and/or impacts to the food supply. 

Strategy 2.2: Plan and Implement a risk-based, comprehensive, integrated monitoring and surveillance 

system.

Focus Area: Detect

Elements: 

• Address previously identified gaps in national One Health capacity, including developing 

surveillance tools and strategies for the rapid detection and characterization of emerging and 

re-emerging pathogens from a broad range of animal species, including farmed animals, freeranging and captive wildlife, peridomestic animals, and companion animals. 

• Build comprehensive and coordinated animal diagnostic and laboratory capacity and capability 

including developing and conducting validated testing and building critical additional 

laboratory capacity to ensure we have timely and reliable surveillance results.

• Support national and international diagnostic testing and laboratory information management 

advancements, providing technical expertise to efforts to collect and analyze quality data for 

decision making. 

• Strengthen capabilities to capture, analyze, and visualize data on emerging and zoonotic 

diseases from multiple sources in a secure and efficient manner.

• Data driven decision-making.

• Collaborate with federal partners working with wildlife and the environment, to better 

understand the inter-dependency of the wider environment to emerging zoonotic and vectorborne diseases.

Strategy 2.3: Enhance coordinated multisectoral investigation and response to SARS-CoV-2 and other 

emerging and zoonotic diseases to guide immediate control efforts to prevent disease 

spread and potential impacts to animal and human health 

Focus Area: Investigate and Control Spread 

Elements:

• Strengthen coordinated multisectoral and multiagency preparedness, outbreak investigation, and 

response to SARS-CoV-2 and other emerging zoonotic diseases when identified in a broad range of 

animal species, including farmed animals, free-ranging and captive wildlife, peridomestic animals, and 

companion animals.

• Partner with CDC, federal One Health partners, and state/local/territorial/tribal animal and 

public health counterparts on workforce development and training opportunities that integrate 

One Health principles to build a skilled cadre of One Health professionals.
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Strategy 2.4: Engage One Health partners to use surveillance data to plan and evaluate interventions/

programs that minimize risks to human and animal health and the food supply. 

Focus Area: Investigate and Control Spread

Elements: 

• Ensure that the National Veterinary Stockpile has the necessary disinfectants, personal 

protective equipment, and other supplies needed to protect investigation teams from zoonotic 

transmission risks and prevent spillover events. 

• Build public-private-academic One Health partnerships to investigate new cases, identify risks 

and effective interventions, including biosecurity and biosafety countermeasures, to minimize 

potential impacts to the food supply for both humans and animals. 

Strategy 2.5: Strengthen coordinated messaging efforts to ensure dissemination of accurate and timely 

messages to the public to help prevent disease.

Focus Area: Outreach and Education

Elements: 

• Continue extensive communication and outreach, strengthening strategies and approaches that 

are culturally relevant and appropriate for reaching diverse and historically underserved 

populations to identify and address potential gaps in the Strategic Framework, and ensure 

effective program delivery. 

• Work within other USDA Agencies to identify joint projects to reach tribal, minority and other 

underserved farmers, ranchers, and communities using accurate and timely public messages. 

• Expand partnerships and methods with academia, industry, and non-governmental 

organizations to broaden the reach and impact of communication efforts. 

• Advance communication and reporting capabilities to maximize value of information and 

knowledge from detection and investigation activities, including developing science-based 

guidelines and recommendations.