The One Health Blind Spot at the Human‒Animal Interface in US Influenza Surveillance.

Publication date: Aug 01, 2026

Novel influenza A viruses have cost thousands of lives and billions of dollars of economic losses in the 21st century, and 2 of the past 4 pandemic influenza A viruses likely originated in animal populations on the North American continent. Despite this, the human and veterinary influenza surveillance systems in the United States are poorly connected and have fallen short of congressional mandates for data sharing and interoperability. This places the United States in a reactive posture that is focused on containment of outbreaks that have already occurred rather than proactive surveillance and prevention. The significant investments in surveillance infrastructure and genomic technologies spurred by the COVID-19 pandemic, along with the new National One Health Framework, present a unique opportunity to modernize influenza surveillance with a greater emphasis on the interconnectedness of human and animal health. However, funding for enhanced surveillance is set to decrease significantly as pandemic-era funding sunsets. Continuing investments into novel surveillance technologies have been critical in addressing the recent H5N1 influenza outbreaks and will be critical to prevent future economic losses and losses of both human and animal life. (Am J Public Health. 2026;116(8):1220-1228. https://doi. org/10. 2105/AJPH. 2026. 308445).

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