US health officials in California, Hawaii, Oregon, and Washington have asked the CDC to reconsider its denial of validation for a rapid, high-volume measles test. The CDC cited "other competing priorities" and a focus on "emerging technologies" for its decision, according to a letter from the West Coast Health Alliance.
The CDC's decision not to validate a high-volume measles test could hinder public health laboratories' ability to rapidly scale up diagnostic testing during a large outbreak, potentially impairing patient care and public health investigations.
Health officials from California, Hawaii, Oregon, and Washington have urged the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to reconsider its denial of validation for a rapid, high-volume measles test. The West Coast Health Alliance stated in a letter that the CDC denied the request in May after a two-month wait, citing "other competing priorities" and a focus on "emerging technologies" to respond to outbreaks. Currently, laboratories rely on lower-volume tests like PCR for measles detection. The alliance argued that a high-throughput test would significantly enhance the ability of laboratories to respond quickly to outbreaks and prepare for other pathogens. A spokesperson for the US Department of Health and Human Services confirmed the CDC is supporting state and local departments in strengthening measles detection and outbreak response but did not answer specific questions about validating a high-throughput assay. Texas state laboratories developed such a test during an outbreak last year, but it has not been distributed or published, and the CDC has reportedly only completed preliminary studies on it.
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