Nation's Laboratory Response Network Marks First Decade of Protecting Public Health

Nation's Laboratory Response Network Marks First Decade of Protecting Public
Health

SILVER SPRING, Md., March 30 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Laboratory
Response Network (LRN), the national laboratory system charged with protecting
the public in health emergencies, will mark its first decade at its national
meeting in Orlando, Florida, April 1-3, 2009.

Founded in 1999 by the Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL), the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Federal Bureau of
Investigation (FBI) to test for agents of bioterrorism, the Laboratory
Response Network has evolved to become the nation's laboratory resource for
response to emerging infectious diseases, toxic spills, natural disasters,
chemical terrorism and other public health threats.

LRN member laboratories conduct confirmatory testing of specimens referred by
clinical laboratories, law enforcement agencies, the armed forces and other
partner agencies. The results of their analysis determine emergency response
measures.

The first trial of the LRN came in 2001. "Two weeks after the state of Florida
finished training its laboratorians in emergency response measures, a Florida
LRN reference lab identified Bacillus anthracis, the index case for the
anthrax events of 2001, in a clinical specimen," remembers APHL Executive
Director Scott Becker. "That day the concept of a national, rapid response
laboratory network proved its worth."

In subsequent years, the LRN's portfolio expanded in response to outbreaks of
SARS, monkey pox and avian influenza. Its productivity level was high. In one
twelve-month period during 2006, over 5,000 tests for unknown substances were
performed by state public health laboratories. A diverse membership of state
and local public health labs, veterinary, agricultural, military labs, water
and food testing laboratories tackled the workload using standardized methods
and tests to assure accuracy and consistency across the network.

In 2003, the LRN added a chemical component, the Laboratory Response Network
for Chemical Terrorism Preparedness, or LRN-C. Sixty-two state, territorial
and metropolitan public health laboratories at three levels of capability now
participate in the LRN-C.

Development of a radiological component of the LRN awaits availability of
funding. Currently the CDC is pursuing newer and more rapid methods to
analyze clinical specimens for radioactive materials.

"The gap in radiological capability is a serious concern," stated APHL
President Frances Downes, DrPH, director of the Michigan Public Health
Laboratory. "As a laboratory first responder, the LRN must position itself
strategically to respond to emerging threats, whether they be the next SARS or
chemical terrorism or a dirty bomb. We can't assume that the threats of the
next ten years will all be biological."

The Association of Public Health Laboratories is a national non-profit located
in Silver Spring, MD, that is dedicated to working with members to strengthen
governmental laboratories with a public health mandate. By promoting effective
programs and public policy, APHL strives to provide public health laboratories
with the resources and infrastructure needed to protect the health of US
residents and to prevent and control disease globally.

SOURCE Association of Public Health Laboratories

Jody DeVoll of the Association of Public Health Laboratories, +1-240-485-2753,
jody.devoll@aphl.org