Global Animal Health
WSU provides innovative solutions to global infectious
disease challenges through research, education, global
outreach, and application of disease contral at the
animal–human interface.
We are an international leader in this area, from
facilitating the development of vaccines for diseases
transmitted between animals to providing prevention,
surveillance, and detection of emerging diseases moving
across animals — and potentially to humans —
worldwide. The work of these faculty and students
will make the difference between poverty and progress in
developing countries and in risk mitigation for human
health.
The Washington Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory, one
of the premier diagnostic labs in the world, works
closely with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to develop and
deploy diagnostic tests for a variety of diseases,
including swine fever, avian influenza, foot and mouth
disease, and others. Early detection of emerging diseases
in animals is vital to minimizing their impact on animal
and human health.
Executive director of the Washington Animal Disease
Diagnostic Laboratory (WADDL) at WSU, Dr. Terry McElwain
(at left) was instrumental in creating the National
Animal Health Laboratory (NAHLN), a network of regional
laboratories equipped and trained to monitor for and
respond to possible exotic disease outbreaks affecting
domestic and wild animals.
For more information, visit the School for
Global Animal Health.
