An Integrated Approach to Laboratory Testing for Patients with Ebola Virus Disease

Abstract

Beginning in 2003, the Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha developed a laboratory capability plan in conjunction with the creation of a biocontainment unit (BCU) for treatment of patients harboring emerging infectious organisms. The laboratory response planning involved experts at the Nebraska Public Health Laboratory (NPHL), University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC), the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Special emphasis was placed on diagnostic testing for highly contagious and pathogenic organisms, including Francisella tularensis and high consequence viruses causing avian influenza and hemorrhagic fevers such as Ebola.