Improving Occupational Health for Tribal Buffalo Workers

Occupational health and safety of Tribal buffalo workers is essential to many Tribal food sovereignty initiatives taking place within Tribal nations across the country, supporting the broader effort to bring the buffalo home. In response to requests from Intertribal Buffalo Council (ITBC) members, we developed occupational health cards identifying top zoonotic disease risks to improve patient–clinician communication. Each card links via QR code to a comprehensive clinician guidance booklet that includes etiologic agents, transmission routes, symptoms, occupation-specific screening questions, and reporting resources. Using a One Health approach, we mapped county-level data for ITBC buffalo herds, including elevation, ecosystem type, and seasonal climate averages, and compiled human and animal zoonotic disease data (2020–2025) by state. These were cross-referenced with emerging and existing agricultural diseases to identify the highest-risk threats and analyzed correlations between geography and disease occurrence in agricultural occupations. Findings and interventions were presented at the 2025 Buffalo Worker Safety and Herd Health Roundtable for community feedback, and finalization is ongoing.