Feds currently not providing tests for rabies, pox viruses and various parasites
New Mexico health officials said a recent ‘pause’ by federal officials on dozens of diagnostic tests, including for rabies, poxviruses and various parasites, will not disrupt the state’s day-to-day operations, but could impact its resources for handling unusual cases.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced on March 30 it was temporarily making such tests unavailable as part of a “routine review” for infectious diseases tests.
New Mexico State Laboratory Director Michael Edwards told Source NM he is certain New Mexico can handle the necessary tests for disease tracking.
“In most cases, we’re OK, we have the abilities to test, we can protect the people that live here,” he said.
Edwards said the state also can rely on help from other public labs in surrounding states, with agreements for testing if needed.
“The public health laboratory system is robust,” Edwards said. “If there’s pauses or shortages we work together to find out how to fill those gaps.”
Previous pauses by the CDC have lasted for several weeks to several months, Edwards said.
However, staff cuts to the federal agency have impacted the state, New Mexico Department of Health Medical Epidemiologist Chad Smelser told Source NM. The CDC’s workforce has shrunk by nearly a quarter under the Trump administration, with federal personnel data showing a net decrease of more than 3,000 employees.
Smelser said the CDC informed the state at the end of March that experts who were previously on-call 24-7 to advise states on rabies cases are no longer available.
“They told us they do not have the staff to respond” to the rabies inquiries, Smelser said, “and they have asked us to deal with those ourselves, when they are not available.”
Smelser said state health officials each year successfully field hundreds of calls about rabies and test potentially infected animals in the state.
“When we do need to see the CDC’s expertise, it’s when we’re dealing with something rare like an animal bite abroad or a potential human rabies case,” Smelser said. “Since there are only a few human cases each year in the United States, we rely on their extensive knowledge about these rare events, and not having those resources is a burden on us.”
Only one to three human rabies cases are reported in the U.S. each year, according to the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases, compared to the average of about 5,000 animal cases reported annually. In March, New Mexico officials euthanized a rabid bobcat following its attack of several dogs in Sierra County, which also prompted two people to receive rabies vaccinations out of precaution. The state confirmed 13 rabies cases in 2025.
Smelser said it’s unclear when the agency will be fully staffed to answer state inquiries.
A statement provided to Source NM from U.S. Health and Human Services Press Secretary Emily Hilliard did not address questions about staffing levels, but noted that some of the lab tests will likely be available again in coming weeks.
“In the meantime, CDC stands ready to support our state and local partners to access the public health testing they need,” Hilliard said.
