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The mission of the Public Health Laboratories is to protect the public's health in NH through responsive, unbiased, quality laboratory testing; to actively participate in national and international surveillance networks; and to improve the quality of health and forensic laboratory services in both the public and private sector. PHL fulfills its mission through the five core functions described below.
Laboratory Response for Critical Incidents
- Disease outbreaks
- Newly emergent diseases
- Product contamination and/or tampering
- Terrorism response
Laboratory Analysis for Food Safety Assurance
- Microbiological testing of dairy products, shellfish and growing waters, and other food products
- Paralytic shellfish poison (Red Tide) testing
- Testing for lead and other metals in maple syrup, fish and other food products
- Testing for mercury in fish
Laboratory Services for Infectious Disease Control
- Tuberculosis testing
- Sexually Transmitted Disease testing
- Vaccine Preventable Disease testing
- Human Immunodeficiency Virus screening, confirmation and viral load
- Bacterial, fungal, parasitic and viral identification
- Drug susceptibility testing
- Rabies testing
Testing to Assess Occupational & Environmental Health Hazards
- Analysis of blood, paint, dust, soil, earthenware and crystal for lead content
- Analysis of urine for mercury
- Hepatitis, Lyme Disease and hantavirus testing
- West Nile Virus testing of birds, mosquitoes, equines and birds
Quality Assurance Leadership
- Reference lab services for hospital and independent labs in NH
- Training, internships and technology transfer for laboratorians
- Laboratory tours, demonstrations, science fairs and lectures
- Coordination of NH Laboratory Response Network
The PHL has three technical sections: inorganic chemistry, microbiology and virology & special testing.
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