Global Wildlife Health and Pandemic Prevention Act

Global Wildlife Health and Pandemic Prevention Act

This bill establishes measures to close high-risk wildlife markets and prevent outbreaks of diseases of wildlife origin.

A high-risk wildlife market is a commercial market that sells or processes wildlife for human consumption where (1) the species of wildlife or regulation of the market is a risk factor for zoonotic (i.e., naturally transmissible from vertebrate animals to humans) disease spread or is linked with the global illegal trade in wildlife, or (2) the manner of processing the wildlife is a risk factor for zoonotic disease spread.

The Department of State, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), and the Department of Agriculture (USDA) must (1) prioritize the closure of high-risk wildlife markets around the world, (2) provide support for foreign governments in their efforts to close such markets, (3) work with foreign governments and multilateral organizations to develop agreements around closing such markets, and (4) coordinate these activities with existing efforts to combat wildlife trafficking. Further, if a country is determined to be willfully harboring high risk wildlife markets, the President may impose certain sanctions, such as import bans.

The State Department, the USAID, the FWS, USDA, and the U.S. Geological Survey must leverage public health, animal health, and environmental health expertise to, among other things (1) identify high-risk wildlife markets; (2) strengthen global capacity for detection of zoonotic diseases with pandemic potential; and (3) coordinate an approach to global zoonotic disease preparedness, surveillance, and response.