One Health in Utah

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One Health in Utah

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One Health in Utah

One Health is a collaborative approach to promoting the interconnected health of humans, animals, and our shared environment.

Image provided by the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food

SARS-CoV-2 at the human-animal-environment (HAE) interface: Utah has participated in various SARS-CoV-2 outbreak investigations and surveillance projects at the HAE interface. Visit our SARS-CoV-2 One Health page to learn more about SARS-CoV-2 One Health projects in Utah.
Secondary water safety: In summer 2023, kids in Utah got sick with E. coli O157:H7 after playing in or drinking untreated, pressurized, municipal irrigation water (secondary water). In response, many health and water partners collaborated to post a webpage to help educate the public and prevent illness. Check it out at SecondaryWaterSafety.utah.gov.
West Nile virus (WNV): State health officials, local health departments, the Utah Public Health Lab, local mosquito abatement districts, blood donor organizations, Utah’s Hogle Zoo, and Tracy Aviary meet routinely to discuss control of WNV, a mosquito-borne virus that can affect both humans and animals. Read more about WNV prevention and response in the WNV annual reports.
Q fever: Utah One Health partners routinely investigate sheep, goat, and human cases of Q fever, a bacterial disease that can be spread from livestock to people.
Collaborative tick surveillance: State health officials are developing and expanding partnerships with local health agencies, the Department of Wildlife Resources, local mosquito abatement districts, other One Health partners, and the public to conduct tick surveillance across the state. Anyone who wants to submit a tick to contribute to our surveillance efforts should fill out the Utah tick submission form.
Pet rabies vaccination: The Utah Department of Health and Human Services and the Tooele County Health Department collaborated with other partners to pilot a project in Tooele County to assess rabies vaccination in dogs and cats. The goal of the project is to promote pet rabies vaccination.
Salmonella in backyard poultry (BYP): Utah health officials collaborated with the CDC, the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food, the Utah Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, and partners in other states to sample baby chick shipping material and test it for Salmonella. This project helped identify and respond to outbreaks of illness linked to BYP and support prevention efforts at chick suppliers.
Salmonella in a bearded dragon: State and local health officials identified Salmonella in a pet bearded dragon, which provided the clue needed to solve a multistate outbreak of human salmonellosis.
Thallium in beef: After routine sampling of Utah beef identified potentially harmful levels of thallium, officials from various human, animal, and environmental health agencies collaborated on an investigation to characterize the public health and environmental threat.
Corynebacterium ulcerans in humans and pets: State and local public health officials and environmental specialists worked together to conduct human, animal, and environmental sampling for Corynebacterium ulcerans in a Utah household.

Here are some infectious diseases that affect both humans and animals:

Environmental health concerns that affect humans and animals:

Environmental contaminants:
- Lead
- Mercury
- Arsenic
Harmful algal blooms in water bodies
Drought and the shrinking of the Great Salt Lake
Air pollution
Coccidioides in humans and pets

The Utah Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) frequently proposes various One Health projects eligible for student volunteer participation. Potential project areas include zoonotic and vector-borne diseases, enteric diseases, and environmental health. If you are interested in an internship opportunity with DHHS or would like to learn more about current One Health projects, send your resume to OneHealth@utah.gov.

Student travel funding opportunities:

Complete this form to join the Utah One Health Network listserv.

Partners in the Utah One Health Network

Associations/groups:

Utah Veterinary Medical Association ( UVMA )
Utah Public Health Association ( UPHA )
Utah Environmental Health Association ( UEHA )
Utah Association of Local Health Departments ( UALHD )
Utah Mosquito Abatement Association ( UMAA )
Utah Rapid Response Team ( URRT )
Utah Poison Control Center (UPCC)

Healthcare:

Veterinarians and veterinary medical clinics
Human healthcare providers and systems

Universities:

Utah State University ( USU ), Extension One Health
Westminster College, Great Salt Lake Institute

Local government:

Local health departments
Mosquito abatement districts
Animal control jurisdictions

State government:

Utah Department of Health and Human Services ( DHHS )
Utah Department of Agriculture and Food ( UDAF )
Utah Department of Environmental Quality ( UDEQ )
Utah Division of Wildlife Resources ( UDWR )
Utah Division of Water Resources ( UDWRe )
Utah Division of Emergency Management (UDEM), Be Ready Utah

Federal government:

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), One Health Office
USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service Veterinary Services (APHIS VS), One Health
USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service ( FSIS )
Food and Drug Administration ( FDA )
National Park Service ( NPS )
US Geological Survey, National Wildlife Health Center ( USGS NWHC )
US Fish and Wildlife Service ( USFWS )
Indian Health Service ( IHS )
- Urban Indian Organization

Tribal government:

Tribal health departments
Tribal mosquito abatement districts
Tribal animal control jurisdictions

Other entities

Utah’s Hogle Zoo

To learn more about One Health in Utah, email OneHealth@utah.gov.