A report from Trust for America's health states that the public health system's response to animal-borne disease lacks leadership and is uncoordinated, and the nonprofit health advocacy group's executive director, Shelley Hearne, is calling for a reform. The report suggests congressional hearings to create a systematic way to handle animal-borne diseases such as West Nile virus and monkeypox. American Public Health Association executive director Georges Benjamin notes that many federal and state agencies may be involved in a response to a disease outbreak, but he adds that "the guard is let down" when the crisis passes. "While we have this breathing room, now is the time to define the problem, get a decent plan and begin to fund and build it," he says.