CDC denies approval for high-volume measles test, citing ‘other priorities’
California, Oregon, Washington and Hawaii health officials ask CDC, ‘prioritizing emerging technologies’, to reconsider
TL;DR
- California and Washington asked the CDC in May to validate a new, rapid, high-volume measles test.
- The CDC denied the request after two months, citing 'other competing priorities'.
- Health officials in California, Hawaii, Oregon, and Washington are asking the CDC to reconsider.
- A high-throughput test would significantly improve laboratory capacity for rapid outbreak response.
- Currently, labs use lower-volume tests like individual PCR tests for measles.
- The CDC stated they are prioritizing emerging technologies to respond to the measles outbreak.