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FL Public Health Lab Closing

Leon County Judge John Cooper on June 30, 2022, in a screen grab from The Florida Channel.
The Florida Channel
Leon County Judge John Cooper on June 30, 2022, in a screen grab from The Florida Channel.

The Pensacola Bureau of Public Health lab is set to close June 30, reducing to three the number of state labs that test for rabies, water quality and other disease, the Pensacola News Journal reports.

The Florida Department of Health lab tests for rabies, certain sexually transmitted infections, water drinkability during a boil notice, and bioterrorism agents like anthrax, among others, according to the News Journal.

Testing for the panhandle region will now be done at the Jacksonville lab, the News Journal reports. Tampa and Miami are home to the other labs.

Originally founded in December 2006 as an independent grassroots publication dedicated to coverage of health issues in Florida, Health News Florida was acquired by WUSF Public Media in September 2012.