Key points
- ÐÇ¿ÕÓéÀÖ¹ÙÍø can assist public health officials with investigating unexplained respiratory disease outbreaks (URDO).
- The public should direct inquiries about respiratory diseases or outbreaks in general to ÐÇ¿ÕÓéÀÖ¹ÙÍø-INFO.
- Contact the relevant state or local health department with questions about specific outbreak investigations.
Requesting ÐÇ¿ÕÓéÀÖ¹ÙÍø assistance
ÐÇ¿ÕÓéÀÖ¹ÙÍø staff are available to provide assistance to health departments and public health agencies during respiratory disease outbreaks when:
- The causative agent has been identified prior to contacting ÐÇ¿ÕÓéÀÖ¹ÙÍø, but needs to be confirmed
- More than one causative agent is suspected and epidemiological or laboratory assistance is needed
- The etiology is unknown
Request assistance
Diagnostic tests used at ÐÇ¿ÕÓéÀÖ¹ÙÍø
ÐÇ¿ÕÓéÀÖ¹ÙÍø laboratories can test for a wide variety of viral, bacterial, and other pathogens at the same time.
For help identifying the right test for your needs, view ÐÇ¿ÕÓéÀÖ¹ÙÍø's searchable Test Directory for
- An up-to-date list of orderable tests
- Information on specimen requirements
- Contact information
- Test turnaround times
- Other supplemental information
ÐÇ¿ÕÓéÀÖ¹ÙÍø testing requirements
Who can submit
Only state health departments and other federal agencies may submit specimens directly to ÐÇ¿ÕÓéÀÖ¹ÙÍø for pathogen detection and characterization. Others must contact their local (city or county) or state health department about how and when to submit specimens for testing. That includes:
- Private citizens
- Healthcare providers
- Hospital personnel
For requests outside of the United States, please ensure that the local health authorities are involved.
Pre-approval
All specimens sent to ÐÇ¿ÕÓéÀÖ¹ÙÍø require approval by the relevant state health departments and ÐÇ¿ÕÓéÀÖ¹ÙÍø prior to shipment. All potential testing requires:
- Consultation with the appropriate ÐÇ¿ÕÓéÀÖ¹ÙÍø subject matter expert
- ÐÇ¿ÕÓéÀÖ¹ÙÍø approval before shipping the specimens