Health Care Newsletter

CDC pauses dozens of infectious disease tests

by Joseph Choi - 04/06/26 7:27 PM ET

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by Joseph Choi - 04/06/26 7:27 PM ET

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Health Care

The Big Story

CDC pauses dozens of infectious disease tests

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has temporarily paused testing state and local health department samples for dozens of infectious diseases and parasites.

The agency has paused testing for 31 diseases as of this week, including rabies, chickenpox and Epstein-Barr virus.

In late 2024, the CDC launched a review of its testing quality, which included the launch of the Office of Laboratory Systems and Response. Part of the office’s mission was to streamline the CDC’s operations.

“Several infectious disease tests are temporarily paused as CDC evaluates these assays as part of our routine review to uphold our commitment to high quality laboratory testing. CDC maintains regular communication with state and local health departments and can assist in coordinating testing through alternative laboratories if needed,” a CDC spokesperson told The Guardian in a statement.

“We anticipate some of these tests will be available through CDC labs again in the coming weeks. In the meantime, CDC stands ready to support our state and local partners to access the public health testing they need.”

These pauses also come as the agency has had to deal with intense tumult, facing a deadly shooting, mass layoffs and a vacuum in leadership since last year.

Staffing shortages at the CDC have reached a point where staffers will no longer be able to offer after-hours advice to states as they have long done, according to sources to The New York Times.

Welcome to The Hill’s Health Care newsletter, I’m Joseph Choi — every week we follow the latest moves on how Washington impacts your health.

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