USDA Secretary of Agriculture nominee Tom Vilsack said there are three lessons learned from the coronavirus pandemic that can help the country better prepare for future human and animal infectious disease outbreaks:
- the sooner you can detect a problem, the better
- incredible coordination is required
- the country must be able to create, distribute and manufacture vaccines quickly
Source: PORK, January 29, 2021. Link. Vilsack said the National Bio and Agro-defense Facility in Manhattan, Kansas, will be an important asset in the effort to detect disease early and be able to more effectively respond and prevent.
. . . the challenge is that we will always be confronted with animal diseases of one sort or another.” – Tom Vilsack
INSIGHTS: The direction of this narrative should allow for shared experiences and collaboration, at minimum.