Association of Public Health Laboratories

The Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL) works to safeguard the public's health by strengthening government laboratories with a public health mandate in the United States and across the world. In collaboration with members, APHL advances laboratory systems and practices, and promotes policies that support healthy communities. Membership is comprised of city, county and state public health laboratories, environmental laboratories and others with an interest in laboratory surveillance and diagnostics. APHL is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) organization with a history of over fifty years.

Vision
A healthier world through quality laboratory practice.

Mission
To promote the role of public health laboratories in support of national and global health objectives, and to promote policies and programs which assure continuous improvement in laboratory practice.

Public Health Laboratories
Public health laboratories monitor, diagnose and control diseases and other agents that could potentially threaten population health. In contrast to private medical laboratories, which conduct testing to diagnose conditions affecting individual patients, public health laboratories safeguard the health of communities. Public health laboratories work in tandem with state and local public health and emergency response authorities, and with federal agencies, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the United States Department of Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration. Examples of their work follow:


 * Screen 97% of babies born in the US for potentially life-threatening metabolic and genetic disorders.


 * Monitor communications for pathogens that spread in food or through contact with people or animals.


 * Perform almost all testing to detect and monitor newly emerging infectious diseases like West Nile virus, SARS and Avian Influenza.


 * Test drinking and some recreational water for bacteria, parasites, pesticides and other harmful substances.


 * Rapidly identify suspect agents, as in 2001 when public health laboratories tested over 1,200 specimens a day during the anthrax attacks, ultimately conducting over one million laboratory analyses.