The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has listed more than two dozen infectious disease laboratory tests as unavailable, according to agency updates and federal officials.
Effective March 30, 2026, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) updated its Infectious Diseases Laboratory Test Directory to reflect multiple unavailable test orders, including those for rabies, poxvirus, Epstein-Barr virus, and varicella zoster virus. Several tests are temporarily paused, whereas others have been discontinued, with guidance indicating that commercial diagnostic testing or alternative laboratory networks may be used where available.
The CDC Infectious Diseases Laboratories accept specimens from state public health laboratories and federal agencies, and submissions must comply with established protocols, including use of the CDC Specimen Submission Form 50.34. The Test Directory provides current information on specimen requirements, turnaround times, and laboratory contacts, and only tests listed in the directory are eligible for ordering.
Andrew Nixon of the US Department of Health and Human Services stated, “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.”
CDC staffing fell by an estimated 20% to 25% over the past year because of layoffs, retirements, resignations, and nonrenewal of temporary appointments, with effects across the agency, including laboratories. The poxvirus and rabies laboratories lost about half of their prior staff.
Although several paused tests involve infections for which commercial diagnostics are available, others involve less common pathogens. Some state public health laboratories may help offset testing gaps during this period.
