APHL helps public health laboratories stay ready to act—safely, quickly, and effectively—when emergencies arise. By strengthening both systems and people, we build the resilience communities need to respond to and recover from public health challenges.
Contact the Public Health Preparedness and Response team: [email protected]
APHL continues to monitor the ongoing response to Andes virus, a type of hantavirus, among returned passengers and crew of a cruise ship in the Atlantic Ocean. Several US states are monitoring passengers who disembarked before the outbreak was confirmed.
See Response Updates​APHL members—state, local and territorial governmental laboratories—are at the forefront of detecting novel threats and responding to all-hazard threats, such as biological, chemical, radiological or nuclear emergencies and natural disasters.
APHL strengthens public health laboratories’ ability to respond to such threats by supporting partnerships and outreach activities, developing trainings and tools, and providing cri​sis management assistance. APHL focuses on building laboratory capabilities and capacity, strengthening biosafety and biosecurity initiatives and coordinating laboratory responses during public health emergencies.
APHL is committed to forging and maintaining collaborations among public health laboratories, sentinel clinical laboratories and the first responder community, through the development and distribution of training programs and tools aimed at enhancing preparedness. Additionally, the program actively engages in crisis management activities during emergency responses to ensure a coordinated and effective approach from our member laboratories.
Our Partners: 
Read more about our partnerships and outreach initiatives.
APHL holds a key position in enhancing biosafety and biosecurity practices. To fortify biosafety practices in public health and clinical laboratories, we produce a range of resources—including risk assessments, checklists, fact sheets and guidance materials—and facilitate trainings and workshops for laboratory staff. We advocate for policies that enhance biosafety, maintain a Biosafety and Biosecurity Committee and collaborate with the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Current APHL biosafety initiatives include: 
Learn More About Our Biosafety and Biosecurity Activities
APHL collaborates with the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to provide a range of laboratory fellowship programs, aiming to train and equip scientists for roles in public health laboratories and contribute to the advancement of public health initiatives.
The Biosafety and Biosecurity Fellowship focus area will prepare fellows with a background in public health science for careers involving biosafety and biosecurity and public health laboratories (PHL) and will support initiatives aimed at enhancing biosafety and biosecurity practices. Learn More.
The new Emergency Preparedness and Response (EPR) Fellowship focus area will prepare fellows with a background in public health science for careers involving emergency management and public health laboratories (PHL) and will support initiatives related to strengthening laboratory preparedness and response for all-hazard threats. Learn More. 
Planning and training are keys to ensuring a safe and rapid response during an emergency. APHL develops training and tools to assist laboratories in preparing for, quickly detecting and responding to health threats.
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Public health laboratories are on the front lines of detecting and responding to health threats. Preparedness ensures labs have the people, systems, and resources needed to act quickly, protect communities, and support recovery during public health emergencies.
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Biosafety and biosecurity ensure that laboratory work is conducted safely, responsibly and securely protecting staff, the public and the integrity of science while enabling laboratories to respond effectively to routine and emerging health threats. APHL works to strengthen and support laboratory biosafety and biosecurity programs.
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The LRN is the nation's laboratory emergency response system for biological, chemical and radiological threats and other public emergencies such as natural disasters. Founded in 1999 by APHL, CDC and the FBI to improve US readiness for bioterrorism, the LRN remains a valuable resource for law enforcement and public health officials.
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Relationships between public health laboratories, clinical laboratories and the first responder community is vital to ensuring rapid and accurate detection of health threats. 
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APHL provides leadership and scientific guidance for coordinated laboratory responses to public health crises.
Learn MoreAPHL convenes several preparedness-related events throughout the year. Visit the APHL Events Calendar for all upcoming events and webinars, and learn more about our standing preparedness events below.
The next technical meeting will take place September 1-3, 2026 in San Antonio, Texas. More information will be coming soon.
Read the latest stories about preparedness and response in action from Lab Culture News and Lab Matters Magazine.
