(Pre-Approval Required)
Dear Health Care Providers and Public Health Professionals,
The Maryland Department of Health Laboratories Administration (MDH Laboratories Administration) has the capability to provide diagnostic testing services for infections that are possibly attributed to several high-consequence pathogens such as; Middle Eastern Respiratory Syndrome Corona Virus (MERS-CoV), Avian Influenza viruses, and Ebola Virus. The MDH Laboratories Administration uses standardized testing methods for these pathogens that were developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and can if necessary, conduct emergency testing for suspected cases of these infections outside of the normal operating hours of our laboratory. However, test requests for these pathogens are not considered routine and specimens should not be casually submitted to the MDH Laboratories Administration unless pre-authorization for testing has been approved and special handling instructions are followed to assure that the proper specimens required for testing are safely collected, packaged, and submitted.
Follow the links for the high consequence pathogens on this web page for guidance documents that will assist you when possible infections with these pathogens are encountered and there is an urgent need to request testing. Please contact the MDH Laboratories Administration directly at 443-681-3800 (M-F: 8:00 am to-4:30 pm) or after hours at 410-925-3121 if you have additional questions about the procedures to request high consequence pathogen testing services.
Sincerely,
Robert A. Myers, Ph.D.
Director Maryland Department of Health Laboratories Administration
