There is a common theme to responding to disease outbreaks.
Find the cause, stop the spread,
and prevent it from happening again.
Disease response is one of the critical missions of the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention,
and it wouldn't be possible without CDC's reliable,
state-of-the-art lab work.
More than fifteen hundred scientists fill the lab benches
at CDC, many of whom are top experts in their field.
They log more than four million hours each year,
sometimes working with the deadliest diseases in the world,
to protect the health of Americans.
It's their work with thousands of germs
that has helped the agency become a leader
in disease detection and prevention.
For almost 70 years, the work happening inside CDC's labs has
had a direct impact on Americans.
Scientists work around the clock
to identify emerging health threats -
like the 2009 H1N1 pandemic, the 2012 outbreak
of fungal meningitis caused by tainted steroid injections,
and the 2014 outbreak of the respiratory illness EV-D68.
We have labs dedicated to newborn screening
that can identify conditions
that may impact a baby's long-term health.
CDC's Tobacco lab looks at toxic substances in cigarettes
and their impact on smokers and nonsmokers.
A separate lab helps identify the source
of multistate foodborne disease outbreaks,
like listeria and salmonella.
Another lab is dedicated to bacterial infections common
in health care settings.
CDC's labs are also a resource for states and hospitals
when they can't identify the cause of an illness.
Our scientists have the ability to test for hundreds of bugs.
It's this sophisticated testing that can spot an outbreak
in its earliest stage, giving states
and hospitals the tools they need to respond.
And if an illness remains unidentified -
CDC's lab workers study its genes
and publish their findings.
Their transparency allows scientists around the world
to learn about the newest bacteria.
America depends on CDC to keep it safe from health threats,
and CDC depends on the dedication, expertise,
and courage of its laboratory staff.
CDC will make sure its labs represent the best
of what's possible through science,
which will help the agency do what it does best:
stop outbreaks and protect the health of Americans.