Public health laboratories (PHLs) or National Public Health Laboratories (NPHL) are governmental

reference laboratories A reference is a relationship between Object (philosophy), objects in which one object designates, or acts as a means by which to connect to or link to, another object. The first object in this relation is said to ''refer to'' the second object. ...

that protect the public against diseases and other health hazards. The 2005

International Health Regulations The International Health Regulations (IHR), first adopted by the World Health Assembly in 1969 and last revised in 2005, are legally binding rules that only apply to the WHO that is an instrument that aims for international collaboration "to prev ...

came into force in June 2007, with 196 binding countries that recognised that certain public health incidents, extending beyond disease, ought to be designated as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC), as they pose a significant global threat. The PHLs serve as national hazard detection centres, and forward these concerns to the

World Health Organization The World Health Organization (WHO) is a list of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations which coordinates responses to international public health issues and emergencies. It is headquartered in Gen ...

International accreditation

In 2007, Haim Hacham ''et al.'' published a paper addressing the need for and the process of international standardised accreditation for laboratory proficiency in Israel. With similar efforts, both the Japan Accreditation Board for Conformity Assessment (JAB) and the European Communities Confederation of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine (EC4) have validated and convened ISO 15189 Medical laboratories — Requirements for quality and competence, respectively. In 2006, Spitzenberger and Edelhäuser expressed concerns that ISO accreditation may include obstacles arising from new emerging medical devices and the new approach of assessment; in so doing, they indicate the time dependence of standards.

Africa

WHO-Afro HIV/AIDS Laboratory Network

East African Laboratory Network

African Society for Laboratory Medicine
* National Public Health Laboratory (Sudan)

Canada

Canadian Public Health Laboratory Network

Europe

* European Union Reference Laboratories cf. Commission Regulation (EC) No 776/2006 and Commission Regulation (EC) No 882/2004
EpiSouth Network

United Kingdom

The Public Health Laboratory Service (PHLS) was established as part of the

National Health Service The National Health Service (NHS) is the term for the publicly funded health care, publicly funded healthcare systems of the United Kingdom: the National Health Service (England), NHS Scotland, NHS Wales, and Health and Social Care (Northern ...

in 1946. An Emergency Public Health Laboratory Service was established in 1940 as a response to the threat of bacteriological warfare. There was originally a central laboratory at

Colindale Colindale is a district in the London Borough of Barnet; its main shopping street on the A5 forming the borough boundary with neighbouring Brent. Colindale is a suburban area, and in recent years has had many new apartments built. It is also ...

and a network of regional and local laboratories. By 1955 there were about 1000 staff. These laboratories were primarily preventive with an

epidemiological Epidemiology is the study and analysis of the distribution (who, when, and where), patterns and Risk factor (epidemiology), determinants of health and disease conditions in a defined population, and application of this knowledge to prevent dise ...

focus. They were, however, in some places located with hospital laboratories which had a diagnostic focus. The PHLS was replaced by the Health Protection Agency in 2003; the HPA was disbanded and in its stead was constituted Public Health England, which later became the

UK Health Security Agency The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) is a government agency responsible for all health security in England, and some reserved public health protection matters across the whole of the United Kingdom. It is an executive agency of the Department ...

in 2021.

United States

United States laboratory networks and organizations
Association of Public Health Laboratories

Laboratory Response Network (CDC)

PulseNet (CDC)

Integrated Consortium of Laboratory Networks

Food Emergency Response Network

Environmental Laboratory Response Network

Council to Improve Foodborne Outbreak Response

US State Public Health Laboratories

US City and County Public Health Laboratories

US State Environmental and Agriculture Laboratories

Other international laboratory networks

WHO Global Influenza Surveillance and Response System

WHO H5 Reference Laboratories

WHO Emerging and Dangerous Pathogens Laboratory Network

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Public Health Laboratory Clinical pathology Laboratory types Public health organizations Public health emergencies of international concern