07/25/2017: Lab Update: Updated Zika guidance and CDC safety cabinet course now available
Dear Clinical Partners and Laboratories,
We would like you to share the two updates below with clinical and public health laboratories. If you have questions, please contact us at LOCS@cdc.gov.
Update: Interim Guidance for Health Care Providers Caring for Pregnant Women with Possible Zika Virus Exposure
CDC has updated the interim guidance for U.S. health care providers caring for pregnant women with possible Zika virus exposure in response to 1) declining prevalence of Zika virus disease in the World Health Organization’s Region of the Americas (Americas) and 2) emerging evidence indicating prolonged detection of Zika virus immunoglobulin M (IgM) antibodies.
Read the interim guidance in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR).
CDC Biological Safety Cabinet (BSC) Now Available!
We are pleased to announce the release of the biological safety cabinet course! A biological safety cabinet (BSC) is the primary means of containment developed for working safely with infectious microorganisms. Class II BSCs, the most common cabinets used in laboratories, are designed to provide personnel protection (for you and those around you), product protection (for your samples), and environmental protection.
This basic-level eLearning course provides information on the safe use of Class II biological safety cabinets. Topics covered include major parts of a BSC, how a BSC works, how to work safely inside a BSC, and what to do if there is an emergency while working in a BSC. Videos, interactive exercises, job aids, and a modifiable checklist template are included in the course to enhance the learning experience.
AUDIENCE
This online course is designed for public health and clinical laboratory staff, safety professionals and persons interested in safe use of biological safety cabinets.
SPECIAL NEEDS
Course content is closed captioned, where applicable, and optimized for a screen reader.
FREE REGISTRATION
- Register online at the CDC Laboratory Training website
- If you have difficulty with the online registration process, please email labtraining@cdc.gov
CEUs: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Division of Laboratory Systems is approved as a provider of continuing education programs in the clinical laboratory sciences by the ASCLS P.A.C.E.® Program. This course is approved for 1.0 contact hours. P.A.C.E.® course number: 288-007-17
Thank you to the Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL) for partnering with CDC to review and approve this course.
The Laboratory Outreach Communication System (LOCS)