On May 24, 2024, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted enforcement discretion for the use of conjunctival swabs as an acceptable specimen type with the CDC Human Influenza Virus Real-Time RT-PCR Diagnostic Panel, Influenza A/H5 Subtyping Kit.
Laboratories may now submit conjunctival swabs from patients that meet Epidemiologic criteria AND either Clinical OR Public Health Response criteria for novel influenza A virus testing to their state public health laboratories for use with the CDC assay alongside a paired nasopharyngeal swab (NPS). These conjunctival swabs must be collected and transported using the same media as the paired NPS used with the currently cleared CDC kit.
The risk posed by novel influenza A viruses to the public still remains low.
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