Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Indeed, at this time, we are living in a period in which we are seeing increasing activity of diseases. Part of the role of the national microbiology lab is to remain abreast of these.
Mpox is a good example, with a recent outbreak domestically and ongoing activity in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, for example.
It is through connections globally and with our international partners that we are able to keep abreast of what is happening in other countries. That helps to inform our work and our preparedness, both with diagnostics to be ready to detect new threats and with medical countermeasures to help combat them.