Packaging and Shipping of Suspect Ebola specimens to the CDC
Use the Category A shipper and send two plastic ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid (EDTA) tubes (4 mL of blood). Suspect Ebola patient specimens will be delivered to the SHL (Coralville facility). The SHL will test one specimen, and if necessary, send the second specimen to CDC for confirmatory testing.
Compliance with Regulations:
Each laboratory that packages and ships specimens is required to comply with U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) regulations when shipping by ground and International Air Transport Association (IATA) regulations when shipping by air. The regulations require each laboratory to have personnel certified in packaging and shipping for the types of specimens they ship. Suspect Ebola specimens should be shipped as a “Suspect Category A Infectious Substance”, so laboratories must have at least one person certified to package and ship Category A specimens.
Specimen Transport:
Health care facilities should contact IDPH / SHL to arrange special pickup/transport of specimens from suspect Ebola patients to SHL using the SHL courier. Specimens must be packaged as “Suspect Category A Infectious Substance.”
Specimen Shipping Guidance
- CDC - Interim Guidance for Specimen Collection, Transport, Testing, and Submission for Persons Under Investigation for Ebola Virus Disease in the United States
- U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) — All applicable requirements of the U.S. Hazardous Materials Regulations (HMR) issued by the U.S. Department of Transportation can be found on the DOT website. For questions on (packaging) transportation regulations, contact the U.S. DOT HazMat Information Center at 1-800-467-4922.
