New Lab Matters: Biosurveillance and the opioid epidemic
The opioid crisis remains a public health emergency in the United States, with more than 67,000 drug overdose deaths in 2018. Forensic and crime laboratories…
Public health laboratory
New Lab Matters now available: Unsustainable
According to data published by the advocacy group Trust for America’s Health, there is a $4.5 billion gap between current funding levels and what is…
COVID-19 Testing Needs to Be Limited to Priority Groups Until Sufficient Testing Supplies and Personal Protective Equipment is Available Nationwide
The Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO), Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL) and Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists (CSTE) issued the…
New Lab Matters: Making data fly
In today’s technology-connected world, information moves quickly. But in the world of public health, pathogens often travel faster than the data needed to diagnose, treat…
Supporting rapid exchange of public health data is urgent, crucial and laden with challenges
By Jody DeVoll, advisor, communications, APHL In an era when digital communications move at blazing speeds, public health laboratories still have to resort to fax,…
New Lab Matters: A game-changer in the fight against antibiotic resistance
Given the global rise of drug-resistant pathogens over the past few decades, some physicians and scientists warn of a possible antibiotic apocalypse—a scary, post-antibiotic era.…
New Lab Matters: The promise and challenge of newborn screening in 2019
Newborn screening is a public health success story, ongoing for 56 years. On the one hand, new treatment and laboratory testing options open up the…
New Lab Matters: The ABCs of PFAS
First discovered in the 1930s, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) now pervade almost every aspect of modern life. In fact, PFAS compounds are found in…
New Lab Matters: Time to welcome the next generation of public health laboratory scientists
The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that 12,000 new laboratory professionals are needed each year to meet consumer demand. At the same time, while automation…
New Lab Matters: When the water comes, be prepared
According to a study by the National Center for Atmospheric Research, the volume of rainfall from storms will rise by as much as 80% in…