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Waugh Urges Support for Animal Health and Diagnostic Commission
HARRISBURG -- Sen.
Mike Waugh (R-York) is urging Governor Rendell to support a review of
Pennsylvania's system for responding to animal diseases that could pose a health
risk to humans and serious financial losses for the agricultural community.
Waugh sent a letter to
Governor Rendell Tuesday calling for a comprehensive review of the Pennsylvania
Animal Diagnostic Laboratory System (PADLS) to ensure that the necessary
resources are available to safeguard the health of the state's animal
agriculture and human communities. PADLS, the laboratory system under the
Animal Health and Diagnostic Commission (AHDC) in the Pennsylvania Department of
Agriculture, is the first line of defense in protecting the Commonwealth's food
animal supply.
“Through PADLS, many of our
state's top veterinarians and animal agriculture industry representatives have
served the Commonwealth and its citizens well,” Waugh said. “I look forward to
working with the Governor to ensure that our Animal Health and Diagnostic
Commission and its lab system in Pennsylvania remains a national leader.”
Waugh said that a timely
reminder of the importance of AHDC and PADLS is the possibility of a pandemic
bird flu infection. If the bird flu strain that has been transmitted from birds
to humans were to mutate to permit human-to-human transmission, timely
identification and containment would be vital to protect Commonwealth residents.
“It is imperative that our
lab system and the people who work in it have access to the proper resources,
have the necessary infrastructure and be prepared in every way possible to
detect any of the multitudes of dangerous transmissible and zoonotic diseases
such as Avian Influenza, “Mad Cow Disease” or West Nile Virus that could pose a
significant animal or human health risk,” Waugh said.
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