The Texas Task Force on Infectious Disease Preparedness and Response that convened after October’s Ebola outbreak issued a new report this week calling for more improvements to the state’s readiness to handle an outbreak of infectious diseases. The new report expands on recommendations made by the task force in October — which included recommending that UTMB be named one of the state’s two designated Ebola treatment centers. Thursday’s recommendation suggested that the state allocate funding to assist in supporting costs for ongoing training, equipping, and operation of the Biocontainment Treatment Facilities at UTMB, the report says. The task force also recommended that the Galveston National Laboratory begin collaborating with other laboratories to study the effect infectious diseases could have on animals. The National Laboratory already does testing on small animals, but the task force recommended that the state should have a containment facility that studies how viruses such as Ebola effect livestock.