Laboratory Response Network

They'd be communicating information about plague to the public, providing guidance to health care providers, hospitals, health departments, and others on how to respond.

They'd be working with the Laboratory Response Network, the LRN, to test samples from sick patients, sending out field staff to interview people who are sick with plague and those who were in close contact with them, shipping out antibiotic treatments and other medical supplies from the Strategic National Stockpile, the SNS.

to states and other locations where needed.

What we do know about plague is public health measures really do work, and that is something that has been proven in modern history.

Um, but we still do have the staff, and I think that's been a real highlight of the agency and our ability to maintain that expertise over time.

Uh, we have also really focused on the laboratory response network, and it doesn't test for everything.

It does still test for anthrax, and it tests for another of, a number of other biothreat agents.

And it is really a very unique laboratory network that includes environmental testing, me- um, military labs- Veterinary labs and obviously the public health labs.