CDC Director Dr. Mandy Cohen toured the Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene’s Agriculture Drive facility on August 16th. The WSLH is the first state public health laboratory Dr. Cohen has visited since becoming CDC Director in July.

While at the WSLH Dr. Cohen learned more about the WSLH’s role in emergency response, PFAS testing, wastewater surveillance for COVID-19 and other pathogens, and the WSLH’s expansive role in communicable disease testing, surveillance and outbreak response.

Dr. Cohen was visiting the state as part of the Wisconsin Department of Health Services’ efforts to encourage childhood immunizations.

Here are some scenes from her visit – (Photo credit: Jeremy Gehler, WI Department of Health Services)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Wisconsin Newborn Screening program will begin a newborn screening for X-Linked Adrenoleukodystrophy (X-ALD) demonstration project on September 20, 2023.

Information for Primary Care Providers

Information for Parents

The Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene’s 2022-2023 annual report – Transforming Challenges, Finding Solutions – is now available.

The report traces the continuum of the WSLH’s COVID-19 pandemic response activities – past, present and future – including genomic sequencing of variants, tracking disease through wastewater, and helping businesses protect their workers. The WSLH’s PFAS activities – both routine testing and research – is explored, as well as our partnerships around opioid and drug abuse surveillance, newborn screening, soil science, and much more.

Read the annual report

Cannabinoids and opioids are two of the most commonly identified substance classes in Wisconsin’s impaired drivers. That said, these two classes of compounds are having profound impacts on our society, with shifting chemical structures and public perceptions.

UW-Madison Assistant Professor Heather Barkholtz gave a Brown Bag presentation for Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene staff about the increasing prevalence of cannabinoids and opioids in society and knowledge gaps surrounding their use. Specifically, Dr. Barkholtz discussed the field of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) isomers and efforts to better understand risks and protective factors associated with non-fatal overdoses.

Brown Bag recording

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has named the Wisconsin Wastewater Surveillance Program a National Center of Excellence for wastewater surveillance within the National Wastewater Surveillance System (NWSS). Wisconsin joins just three other CDC NWSS Centers of Excellence in the country.

The Wisconsin Wastewater Surveillance Program is a partnership between the Wisconsin Department of Health Services, the Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee School of Freshwater Sciences. The Wisconsin Wastewater Surveillance Program was an early pioneer during the COVID-19 pandemic in developing and applying wastewater-based surveillance for SARS-CoV-2 and is recognized as a national leader in wastewater-based monitoring of human pathogens.

Community-focused wastewater surveillance is a cost-effective tool for public health practice. It involves looking for the presence of pathogens that people shed in sewage, whether or not they have symptoms, and measuring the pathogen levels over time. Individual testing is not required, and it does not depend on individual access to a healthcare or testing location.

By screening for pathogens in untreated wastewater at a given central wastewater treatment facility, wastewater surveillance can help determine whether infections are increasing or decreasing in the community served by that facility and provide early warning about the spread or prevalence of disease. This can help public health agencies engage in prevention efforts where they are most needed and complement other data that public health agencies collect with respect to disease spread.

Read more at University of Wisconsin-Madison’s News

Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel: Everybody poops. Wisconsin is a national leader in using it to monitor public health.

On Wednesday, July 5, Governor Tony Evers signed the Wisconsin 2023-2025 Biennial Budget (2023 Wisconsin Act 19), which directed the Newborn Screening Card Fee to increase to $195.00 per card. The card fee increase is effective 7/11/2023.

An updated order form with the new price is available on our website at https://www.slh.wisc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/230711_updated_NBS-FEE-ORDER-FORM_Fillable.pdf.

Please note the following changes to the Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene’s operations for the July 4th holiday.

As always, if you have an off-hours emergency, please call the WSLH Emergency Pager at 608-263-3280.

 

After more than three years, the world is now in a very different stage of the COVID-19 pandemic. The U.S. COVID-19 Public Health Emergency has ended, and the World Health Organization has determined that COVID-19 no longer constitutes a public health emergency of international concern.

As COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, and deaths continue to decline, public health organizations are updating their approaches to the disease. In addition, SARS-CoV-2 testing is widely available at health care facilities and through at-home testing. Therefore, the Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene (WSLH) is transitioning SARS-CoV-2 test criteria to be in line with testing for influenza and other respiratory viruses at the WSLH.

Beginning on June 12, 2023, WSLH will only test samples for SARS-CoV-2 that meet the following criteria:

• Surveillance samples requested by the WSLH
  • WSLH currently requests that each clinical laboratory submit 5 positive SARS-CoV-2 samples per week
• Post-mortem cause of death investigations
• Public Health outbreak investigations as directed by state, local, and tribal public health departments. Pre-approval is required.
• Other testing as directed by public health departments

Samples that meet the above criteria will be tested using a multiplex assay that includes SARS-CoV-2, influenza A, and influenza B. Submitters will receive results for all three of these viruses.

Submitter letter

Dr. Dagmara Antkiewicz (2nd from right) with the WSLH Wastewater-Based Epidemiology team and WSLH Environmental Toxicology, gave an update on the WSLH’s use of wastewater surveillance for COVID and other respiratory diseases at the Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL) ID Lab Con.

Dr. Antkiewicz spoke about the technical challenges of wastewater surveillance testing, as well as highlighted the WSLH’s use of genomic sequencing as part of our work. Her fellow panel presenters from Virginia, Utah, New York and the District of Columbia spoke on other aspects of using wastewater as a surveillance tool.

Read more about the panel discussion

Please note the following changes to the Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene’s operations due to the observance of the Memorial Day holiday.

The table below lists the hours of operations for our Clinical Specimen Receiving departments.

As always, if you have an off-hours emergency, please call the WSLH Emergency Pager at 608-263-3280.