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Robert Kelly, Senior Vice President of Global Marketing and Operations at Merck Animal Health, advocates increasing investment in animal health to promote human health. According to an October 22, 2026 report by Fortune Tech, he proposed that infectious diseases of animal origin account for about three-quarters of human infectious diseases, destroy more than 20% of global livestock production each year, and yet less than 1% of global health spending goes to animal health. He also cited technologies such as CRISPR gene editing, mRNA vaccines, and AI smart collars that can be used simultaneously for animal disease prevention and early disease monitoring. At present, this claim is presented by a single report, and there are no subsequent factual developments.
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Merck Animal Health Senior Vice President: To promote human health, we must invest in protecting animalsDevelopments
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Merck Animal Health executive advocates investing in animal health
Source:Fortune Tech
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Oct 22
Fortune Tech
Merck Animal Health Senior Vice President: To promote human health, we must invest in protecting animals
Robert Kelly, Senior Vice President of Global Marketing and Operations at Merck Animal Health, called for greater investment in animal health: zoonotic infectious diseases account for about three-quarters of human infectious diseases and destroy more than 20% of global livestock production each year, yet less than 1% of global health spending goes to animal health. He cited technologies such as CRISPR gene editing, mRNA vaccines and AI smart collars that can be used simultaneously for animal disease prevention and early disease monitoring.