CDC Pauses Infectious Disease Testing Due to Staffing Shortages

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has temporarily suspended diagnostic testing for more than two dozen infectious diseases. The pause affects a wide range of pathogens, including rabies, monkeypox (mpox), and various parasites, leaving state and local public health laboratories to fill the gap in surveillance and diagnostics.

The agency released a list on April 1, 2026, identifying the tests that have become unavailable. This action marks a significant increase in the volume of suspended tests compared to previous pauses the agency has implemented.

Scope of Testing Suspensions

The list of unavailable tests includes both common infections and rare pathogens. Among the suspended services are tests for the varicella zoster virus, which causes shingles and chickenpox, and the Epstein-Barr virus. For these specific infections, commercial testing alternatives are generally available.

However, the pause also impacts the detection of less common organisms. These include the virus responsible for sloth fever and parasitic worms associated with snail fever. Other suspended diagnostics include tests for poxviruses, lymphocytic choriomeningitis—a rodent-borne virus capable of causing meningitis—and human herpesvirus.

Official Justifications and Internal Reviews

A spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees the CDC, described the pause as temporary. Andrew Nixon stated that the move is part of a routine review to uphold our commitment to high quality laboratory testing.

The CDC has been evaluating its testing programs as part of a broader internal evaluation that began in 2024. This follows a period where the agency’s laboratory operations were faulted during the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequently reviewed by a work group.

Scott Becker, the chief executive officer of the Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL), noted that the agency has been transparent about these efforts to assess its processes periodically. Becker stated that the menu of tests the CDC manages is enormous and that periodic assessments are considered good policy.

Impact on Public Health Infrastructure

The CDC typically provides critical support to state and local public health labs, particularly those in smaller jurisdictions that lack the specialized staff and resources to conduct every required test. Testing is essential for disease surveillance, allowing officials to track the spread of diseases and identify outbreaks in their early stages.

View this post on Instagram

The current pause occurs during a period of instability within the U.S. Public health infrastructure. Reports indicate that hundreds of CDC employees have either quit or been laid off since President Donald Trump took office. State and local agencies are facing reductions in federal funding.

Despite these staffing and funding challenges, Becker clarified that the current testing pause is unrelated to those specific issues. He did, however, note that the agency’s operations were previously impacted during a 43-day government shutdown last year, during which the CDC performed only emergency testing.

Next Steps for Diagnostics

The Department of Health and Human Services indicated that some of the paused tests are expected to become available through CDC laboratories again in the coming weeks. In the interim, the agency stated it remains ready to support state and local partners in accessing the necessary public health testing.

For the time being, public health officials and laboratories requiring rabies testing or other suspended diagnostics are advised to seek alternatives, as samples should not be sent to the CDC for at least the next few weeks.