The Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene is featured prominently in an Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL) Lab Blog story focusing on the importance of federal funding for pandemic influenza response.
WSLH Communicable Disease Division Director and CDC “Flu Fighter” Dr. Pete Shult recounts how during the 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic WSLH scientists were testing upwards of 300 specimens a day, adding extra shifts and working through the weekends. The WSLH was able to handle the load because of years of federal funding that helped build flu-fighting infrastructure.
But as with all infrastructures, building it is just the first step – maintaining it is just as important.
Read more about how Wisconsin and other states have utilized funding to quickly respond to influenza and what’s at stake if it is cut.