New Lab Matters: Time to welcome the next generation of public health laboratory scientists

New Lab Matters: Time to welcome the next generation of public health laboratory scientists | www.APHLblog.org

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 has eliminated some less-skilled laboratory jobs, the growing sophistication of public health laboratory analyses has generated demand for scientists with highly specialized training. As our feature article shows, laboratories are recruiting new talent for the “hidden profession” by taking a hard look into what they really want, and how they want to work.

Here are just a few of this issue’s highlights:

Subscribe and get Lab Matters delivered to your inbox, or read Lab Matters on your mobile device.

The post New Lab Matters: Time to welcome the next generation of public health laboratory scientists appeared first on APHL Lab Blog.

5 most unexpected and unique partnerships forged through the Zika response

Top 5 most unexpected and unique partnerships forged through the Zika response | www.APHLblog.org

By Kelly Wroblewski, director, infectious disease, APHL

While the US public health system has been through a number of infectious disease responses in the last decade, the Zika response was unique in both its duration and complexity. For more than 20 months (January 22, 2016 – September 29, 2017), CDC’s Emergency Operations Center was activated to respond to the US’s largest Zika virus outbreak. State and local public health departments began their responses as early as November 2015 and continue to respond today. Through the uncertainty, public health built relationships with new partners and found opportunities for unique collaborations with old partners.

APHL explores the journey in detail in our new book, A Complex Virus, A Coordinated Response: Public Health Laboratories Battle Zika. For APHL and public health laboratories, five unique and unexpected partnerships forged during the Zika response proved critical to progress on this journey. Learn about them below:

1. Vector Control

Vector control is, of course, a time-honored, if underappreciated, public health partner; after all, CDC was established in the 1940s in response to malaria. The Zika response reinvigorated those relationships as public health laboratories and vector control programs worked together on the best methods and approaches for vector surveillance (i.e., testing vectors to see if the pathogen is present) and insecticide resistance testing (testing insects to determine which sprays will be most effective). Once local transmission occurred in Florida and Texas, vector control relied on public health laboratory test results to focus mosquito control efforts on the areas where transmission was most likely to occur.

2. Maternal and Child Health and OB/GYNs

While public health laboratories may connect with maternal and child health departments for other types of testing like newborn screening, it is unusual for these groups of public health professionals to work together in response to an emerging infectious disease. Many OB/GYNs treating patients concerned about their risk of Zika infection and exposure were used to working with clinical and commercial laboratories for prenatal testing, but had never ordered a test at a public health lab. Public health labs across the country worked with their maternal and child health counterparts to ensure they had the most up-to -date information on accessing testing, knew how to correctly complete test request forms and could interpret test results to pass along to appropriate healthcare providers.

3. Commercial Laboratories

At public health laboratories, Zika testing represented a massive increase in workload. Beyond demand from patients worried about their exposure, there were multiple new tests to validate, different tests required for different patient populations and often a single specimen from which multiple laboratories needed to conduct multiple tests. In April 2016, commercial laboratories began performing Zika testing, thus distributing some of the specimen volume, taking some of the load off public health labs and offering OB/GYNs access to testing from laboratories with whom they had established relationships.

4. The Zika Coalition (So. Many. Partners.)

This group, led by the March of Dimes, was comprised of more than 70 member organizations committed to the health and wellbeing of US children and families. It was established in response to Congress’ delay in approving the Obama Administration’s emergency request for funding to respond to the Zika crisis in the US. The request was made in in February of 2016 and was not approved by Congress until that September. The Zika Coalition visited congressional offices, wrote letters and testified before the Senate Appropriations Committee advocating for and applying pressure to ensure public health got the funding necessary to respond.

5. CDC, FDA and CMS – Tri-agency Taskforce for Emergency Diagnostics

Although partnerships with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) are neither unique nor unexpected during an infectious disease emergency response, the Zika response did change their nature with the establishment of the Tri-agency Taskforce for Emergency Diagnostics. Throughout the 20 month response, as we learned more about how the Zika virus behaved, APHL worked with these agencies to ensure that laboratories had access to the best possible tests through the emergency use authorization (EUA) process (FDA’s role), guidance on how to use those tests (CDC’s role) and assurance that the tests were being implemented in compliance with quality testing standards (CMS’s role). This taskforce remains intact for future responses.

The post 5 most unexpected and unique partnerships forged through the Zika response appeared first on APHL Lab Blog.

What a Day! Day 3 of the APHL Annual Meeting

What a Day! Day 3 of the APHL Annual Meeting | www.APHLblog.org

Day 3 of the APHL Annual Meeting was a big one! We had several captivating sessions including this year’s Katherine Kelley Distinguished Lecturer, Maryn McKenna, renowned journalist and author. Listen to today’s episode to hear a few attendees share what they took away from the day.

You can listen to our show via the player embedded below or on iTunes, Stitcher or wherever you get your podcasts. Please be sure to subscribe to Lab Culture so you never miss an episode.

The post What a Day! Day 3 of the APHL Annual Meeting appeared first on APHL Lab Blog.

Hello, Pasadena! Day 1 of the APHL Annual Meeting

Hello, Pasadena! Day 1 of the APHL Annual Meeting | www.APHLblog.org

We are in sunny Pasadena, California for the 2018 APHL Annual Meeting! Here is a little look at what we did on the first day. Stay tuned for updates every day through June 5.

You can listen to our show via the player embedded below or on iTunes, Stitcher or wherever you get your podcasts. Please be sure to subscribe to Lab Culture so you never miss an episode.

Join the conversation using #APHL on:

The post Hello, Pasadena! Day 1 of the APHL Annual Meeting appeared first on APHL Lab Blog.

New Lab Matters: When the water comes, be prepared

New Lab Matters: When the water comes, be prepared | www.APHLblog.org

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 North America by the end of the century. Not only do storms and floods threaten public health laboratory facilities, but receding floodwaters pose serious public health risks. As our feature article shows, the best weapon in a public health laboratory’s arsenal is preparation for inundation…from any source.

Here are just a few of this issue’s highlights:

Subscribe and get Lab Matters delivered to your inbox, or read Lab Matters on your mobile device.

 

The post New Lab Matters: When the water comes, be prepared appeared first on APHL Lab Blog.

Lab Culture Ep. 9: What is the APHL Emerging Leader Program?

Lab Culture Ep. 9: What is the APHL Emerging Leader Program? | www.APHLblog.org

What is the Emerging Leader Program (ELP)? APHL staff, Pandora Ray and Kajari Shah, share how the ELP got its start and how it has progressed. This year’s ELP cohort is producing three episodes for Lab Culture that will be released over the coming weeks. Stay tuned!

APHL Emerging Leader Program

(Cohort 9 is pictured above. Pan and Kajari are kneeling in the center.)

You can listen to our show via the player embedded below or on iTunes, Stitcher or wherever you get your podcasts. Please be sure to subscribe to Lab Culture so you never miss an episode.

The post Lab Culture Ep. 9: What is the APHL Emerging Leader Program? appeared first on APHL Lab Blog.

Everything you need for Lab Week 2018

Everything you need for Lab Week 2018

Get ready for Lab Week! April 22-28 we will join our members and partners to celebrate the vital contributions laboratory professionals make to protect public health and safety in the US and around the globe. APHL will be particularly focused on the laboratory professionals who make up our community – the dedicated individuals working at local, state, environmental and agricultural laboratories which comprise the public health laboratory system.

We have lots of fun things planned this year! Scroll down for printable posters, downloadable graphics and more.

Follow APHL for our special Lab Week content (there might even be a contest on Facebook… hint hint…)!

While we celebrate our members, we also use Lab Week to increase awareness and demonstrate the importance of public health and environmental laboratories in our communities. We encourage you to do the same!

Below are some resources to help launch your own Lab Week celebration. These resources are for local, state, public health, environmental and agricultural laboratories alike!

Printable posters to display in your lab:

Everything you need for Lab Week 2018Graphics:

Sample social media posts (include a graphic or photo for added visibility):

Videos

Here are two animated videos to share with your public audiences. Feel free to share the link or embed on your website.

What exactly do public health laboratories do? Share these stories that highlight their work:

Encourage others to consider laboratory careers! Share these stories:

Celebration ideas:

  • Celebrate Lab Week internally with a social event, banners or other decorations.
  • Hold an open house for media, elected officials, school groups, staff families and other members of the public. Check out the Milwaukee Health Department Laboratory’s story about their health fair for students.
  • Visit local elementary, middle and high schools to talk with students interested in STEM disciplines.
  • Write an op-ed piece for local newspapers and/or magazines to highlight the valuable contributions your public health laboratory staff are making in your community, city and/or state.
  • Are you the lab director or section manager? Think of fun and meaningful ways to thank your staff for their dedication to public health.

Kick off Lab Week with an Earth Day celebration and carry it through the week!

  • Host a Green and Blue Day and ask staff to wear colors representing earth and water.
  • Hold a grounds-keeping afternoon: Invite staff and their families to help with weeding, mulch, planting, etc.
  • Ask if your regional EPA office plans to do something for Earth Day and join them as a partner.
  • Encourage employees to do Meatless Monday or purchase items at a local farmer’s market instead of the supermarket.
  • Encourage employees to Travel Differently on Tuesday carpooling, taking the bus, walking or riding their bike to work.

Check out the WEF-APHL environmental lab webcast: Introduction to the 2017 Method Update Rule

On April 26, 2018 1:00-3:00 pm ET, join Water Environment Federation (WEF) and the Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL) for a free webcast that will introduce certified laboratory personnel to the changes found in the 2017 Method Update Rule (MUR). Updates include EPA-promulgated changes to Clean Water Act analytical test procedures for analyzing chemical, physical and biological components of wastewater and other environmental samples. If you work at a state or local public health or environmental laboratory and/or are an APHL member, please email Sarah Wright before registering to receive a code to waive the $40 fee.

The post Everything you need for Lab Week 2018 appeared first on APHL Lab Blog.

New Lab Matters: 100 Years of Influenza

New Lab Matters: 100 Years of Influenza | www.APHLblog.org

In 1918, no one even knew for sure that influenza was a viral disease; but then, the field of public health laboratory practice was still in its infancy. One hundred years later, public health is in a much better place, but critical preparedness gaps still persist. As our feature article shows, public health laboratories are working to keep their communities safe, through often difficult funding circumstances.

Here are just a few of this issue’s highlights:

Subscribe and get Lab Matters delivered to your inbox, or read Lab Matters on your mobile device.

 

Key words: APHL, public health, laboratory, laboratory testing, public health laboratory, laboratory assessment, Measles, bioinformatics, parvo, PFAS, chemical testing

The post New Lab Matters: 100 Years of Influenza appeared first on APHL Lab Blog.

Scaling-up viral load testing in Ghana is critical to stopping HIV

Scaling-up viral load testing in Ghana is critical to stopping HIV | www.APHLblog.org

By Robyn Sagal, specialist, Global Health, APHL; Samantha Dittrich, manager, Global Health Security, APHL

When HIV first struck Ghana in 1986, it didn’t adhere to global trends. There was a high prevalence of HIV in females, not males. The spread began in rural areas, not urban centers. Regions with more polygamy had lower rates of HIV, not higher. Over 30 years later, Ghana has made significant headway in slowing new infections, but there continues to be an upward trend that’s deeply concerning.

The top HIV/AIDS experts around the world see substantial evidence that antiretroviral therapy (ART) can be highly successful in suppressing the virus in infected people and decreasing the likelihood of transmission. In fact, evidence shows that when the virus is suppressed to the point of being undetectable, the infected individual has low or no risk of transmitting the virus to others. Given these facts, one key to slowing and eventually halting the transmission of HIV is close monitoring of every infected person’s viral load (testing for the amount of HIV in the blood). Regular and consistent viral load testing can determine whether ART is a success or failure. If ART is successful, viral load testing will indicate viral suppression; if not, as when treatment is inconsistent or the virus has become drug resistant, it will show either no change or an increase in viral load. Viral load testing is critical to determining next steps for individual treatment as well as determining whether the epidemic is progressing or regressing.

In keeping with global HIV response efforts, Ghana is shifting their attention to scaling-up viral load testing per the World Health Organization’s (WHO) “treat all” recommendation. That is, not only should infected and high-risk individuals receive ART, they should also have access to regular viral load testing. Additionally, the country has adopted the UNAIDS 90/90/90 global targets aimed at ensuring that 90% of the people receiving treatment are virally suppressed, with the goal of ending HIV/AIDS by 2030. Scaling-up viral load testing requires increasing laboratory capacity, an undertaking to which Ghana and APHL are committed.

In order to develop the Ghana Laboratory Viral Load Testing Extension plan, APHL has worked closely with CDC-Ghana, the Ghanaian Ministry of Health (MOH), Ghana Health Service (GHS), the National AIDS Control Programme (NACP) and many other partners and stakeholders. This plan outlines a strategy to increase and monitor laboratory capacity for viral load testing. It includes an ambitious, targeted approach that balances achieving global goals of ART treatment monitoring with the limited resources available in the country. The plan accelerates the scale-up of viral load testing by defining national testing targets and a timeframe for achieving them, improving stakeholder collaboration and pooling available resources for better distribution.

In addition, APHL has collaborated with the Centre for Remote Sensing and Geographic Information Services (CERSGIS) to map all 245 ART centers in Ghana. This huge undertaking generated geo-referenced maps for each site, including the latitude and longitude of the ART centers along with other related attributes such as differentiated models of care sites, regional viral load centers, sector viral load centers, functional viral load centers, testing staff capacity, ART equipment at the centers and much more. Visualizing these data at various administrative levels provides national decision makers with a more nuanced understanding of program coverage and priorities for scale-up. By mapping rather than graphing or charting the data, users are better able to recognize important patterns.

As the global health community works to end AIDS by 2030, laboratory testing will continue to be essential for diagnosis, treatment and prevention. APHL’s viral load scale-up activities in Ghana will help those already afflicted by HIV/AIDS to receive effective treatment and  will ultimately decrease the number of new infections in the country.

The post Scaling-up viral load testing in Ghana is critical to stopping HIV appeared first on APHL Lab Blog.

New Lab Matters: Biomonitoring

New Lab Matters: Biomonitoring | www.APHLblog.org

In the 1970s, the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) showed that gasoline lead was a major exposure for children and adults—a huge finding that would not have been known otherwise. Today NHANES provides a critical baseline for national background levels of exposure to other chemicals, but state efforts to test and document local, possibly elevated exposures to the new “alphabet soup” of PFOAs and PFOSs have been little funded and lagging. As our feature article shows, public health laboratories aim to change that through new technologies and the establishment of the new National Biomonitoring Network.

Here are just a few of this issue’s highlights:

Subscribe and get Lab Matters delivered to your inbox, or download the Lab Matters app via iTunes or Google Play.

The post New Lab Matters: Biomonitoring appeared first on APHL Lab Blog.