Until recently, most samples of fluids from patients had to be sent to Atlanta for testing by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Now, about 30 local public health labs are gearing up to do the analysis themselves, including the District of Columbia’s department of forensic sciences, where Cleveland Weeden works as a medical technologist.
http://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2016/03/10/469549176/how-best-to-test-for-zika-virus
