Animal health in the U.S. - Statistics & Facts
In 2023, there were around 89.3 million cattle and calves and 74.1 million hogs and pigs in the United States. Due to this high number and the close proximity of humans working with animals, the danger of zoonotic diseases transmitting to humans remains a risk. Animal health is a primary concern among veterinarians, doctors, and public health experts around the world as the health of animals is closely connected to that of humans. This approach of interconnectedness between human health, animal health, and environmental health is known as One Health and has gained popularity in recent years. It aims to combine multiple health authorities in environmental, animal, and human health sectors to combat the spread of communicable diseases between and among species. The world was recently reminded of this interconnectedness and the danger of diseases spreading from animals to humans as this was the likely origin of SARS-CoV-2 which resulted in the COVID-19 pandemic.
