CDC Pauses Dozens of Types of Lab Testing During Evaluation and in Wake of Downsizing
The pause follows a 20% to 25% staffing drop and affects more than two dozen tests, officials and public health labs said.
- On Wednesday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suspended diagnostic testing for rabies, mpox, and other infectious diseases, posting a list of more than two dozen types of testing that have become unavailable.
- Staffing levels fell by 20% to 25% over the last year, driven by layoffs, retirements, resignations, and the nonrenewal of temporary appointments across the agency.
- Scott Becker, CEO of the Association of Public Health Laboratories, noted the agency is pausing more tests than ever, though some state labs in New York and California can pick up the slack.
- Jill Taylor, former director of the Wadsworth Center, warned that an emergency could be catastrophic, stating, "If we have an emergency all of a sudden, God help us."
- Testing capacity remains a concern for upcoming events like the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, though Andrew Nixon of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services anticipates tests will be available in the coming weeks.
39 Articles
39 Articles
CDC pauses rabies, smallpox testing for state and local public health departments
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is temporarily pausing testing for rabies and pox viruses. What's happening? The CDC offers testing for several pathogens to assist state and local public health laboratories that are not equipped to conduct them. The New York Times reported that widespread layoffs, hiring freezes, and resignations have reduced the number of qualified scientists who can assist state labs with testing for rabies and…
CDC Pauses Testing for Rabies and Many Viruses
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has paused testing for more than two dozen diseases and viruses, including rabies. The CDC said in a list released on March 30 that tests for rabies, monkeypox, varicella zoster, and herpesvirus, among others, are “currently unavailable.” The public health agency regularly tests specimens for states and other federal agencies. “Several infectious disease tests are temporarily paused as CDC evaluates…
CDC Stops Testing For Rabies And Poxes, But It's All Perfectly Fine!
The CDC has "temporarily" paused testing for rabies and pox viruses, the family of viruses that includes smallpox and mpox, according to an update to the agency’s website on Monday. But don't worry, I'm sure it will all be fine! Under "normal" (ha, ha, remember those days?) circumstances, the CDC offers testing for dozens of pathogens to assist state and local public health laboratories that aren't equipped to conduct them. The organization bega…
CDC pauses diagnostic testing for rabies, other infectious diseases
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has paused its diagnostic testing for a host of infectious diseases, including rabies. The CDC on Monday posted a list of 27 tests that it either discontinued or made temporarily unavailable. Some tests, the agency noted, are available commercially. Among those temporarily paused are tests for rabies,…
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