The New York State Department of Health’s Wadsworth Center and Division of Epidemiology are collaborating on the investigation of a Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) outbreak in northern New York State. RSV primarily causes clinically significant illness in children under five years of age and older adults, often presenting as influenza-like illness or pneumonia, and commonly requiring hospitalization in severe cases. 

Several Wadsworth Center Research Scientists and their trainees attended the 2026 Winter Conference on Plasma Spectrochemistry, held January 10-17, 2026, in Tucson, Arizona. Participants included Drs. Patrick Parsons, George Donati, and Christopher Palmer; Ms. Kayla Mehigan; and Dr. Sarah El Din, an APHL Postdoctoral Fellow. University at Albany doctoral students Deanna Luneau and Joseph Teson from Dr. Parsons’ laboratory also attended the meeting.

In January 2026, the Wadsworth Center successfully completed routine federal inspections required under the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments of 1988 (CLIA) across the Biggs Laboratory, Griffin Laboratory, and the David Axelrod Institute (DAI). A team of five CLIA surveyors conducted a comprehensive three-day on-site evaluation of clinical laboratory operations. 

The Wadsworth Center Fellowship Program Committee hosted the Winter Fellow Research Symposium on January 22, 2026, at the David Axelrod Institute (DAI) and the Life Sciences Innovation Building (LSIB) Collaboratory. Eight fellows representing three Divisions—the Division of Environmental Health Sciences, Division of Infectious Diseases, and Division of Genetics—participated in the event. 

Beginning in early November 2025, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), initiated an investigation into a multistate outbreak of infant botulism associated with ByHeart Whole Nutrition powdered infant formula. Early epidemiologic findings demonstrated a strong association between illness and consumption of the product, prompting a voluntary recall.

The Wadsworth Center investigated the deaths of five common loons (Gavia immer) collected from New York State waters for suspected type E botulism, a rare type that is usually associated with birds and aquatic environments. Four of the birds were recovered from Lake Erie in Erie County, and one was collected from Lake Ontario in Oswego County. Liver samples from all five loons, along with gastrointestinal contents (pooled samples from the Lake Erie loons and an individual sample from the Lake Ontario loon), were collected on November 19, 2025. 

The Environmental Laboratory Approval Program (ELAP) within the Wadsworth Center at the New York State Department of Health has regulatory oversight responsibility for laboratories that test environmental samples collected in New York State.  These laboratories analyze samples for a wide range of toxins, harmful microorganisms, carcinogens, and other substances that may affect public health and the environment. 

Nicole Cairns, Assistant Director of the Wadsworth Center, was elected Chair of The NELAC Institute (TNI) Chemistry Expert Committee on January 7, 2026.  TNI is a national, nonprofit organization whose mission is to promote the generation of environmental measurement data of known and documented quality through the development and maintenance of consensus standards.  These standards are used to accredit environmental laboratories, accreditation bodies, and proficiency testing providers nationwide.  Ms.

Substance use disorder (SUD) is a significant public health challenge in the United States.  According to the 2021 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, an estimated 29.5 million individuals aged 12 and older had an alcohol use disorder, while 24 million had a drug use disorder.  Beyond the direct health impacts of substance use, individuals with SUD may also face increased exposure to harmful environmental chemicals that can further compromise health.  Drugs produced through clandestine and unregulated manufacturing processes can expose individuals to a range of contaminan

The Wadsworth Center has identified Borrelia mayonii in blacklegged ticks (Ixodes scapularis) collected in New York State – the first time this Lyme disease-like pathogen has been detected outside the upper Midwest. B.