NIH Public Health Laboratories Division Islamabad: What It Tests, Hours and Phone

The NIH Public Health Laboratories Division (PHLD) in Islamabad is open Monday to Saturday from 8 am to 4 pm and closed on Sunday. It tests for infectious diseases such as dengue, avian influenza, Congo fever, hepatitis, HIV, polio and measles. The main NIH phone line is +92 (51) 9255110.

We read the National Institutes of Health (NIH) National Health Laboratory page and the timings in its website footer on 14 October 2026. NIH's page describes what the division does. It does not list walk-in tests or fees, so this page tells you what is confirmed and what you must ask by phone.

PHLD is the national reference lab for infectious disease

NIH says PHLD gives laboratory support to the public and private sectors to detect, prevent and control infectious diseases during outbreaks and epidemics. It calls itself the apex national reference public health laboratory for communicable diseases. A reference lab is the one other labs send hard cases to.

The page lists dengue, avian influenza, Congo fever, SARS, hepatitis, HIV/AIDS, polio and measles among the diseases it covers. It also says the division does routine and specialised testing, though it does not name which tests a member of the public can order.

The division holds WHO and polio roles

NIH says PHLD has served since the 1980s as the only World Health Organization (WHO) Collaborating Centre for Research and Training in Viral Diagnostics in Pakistan. It also houses one of six Regional Reference Laboratories for polio.

Polio matters this year: see our report on the sixth polio case of 2026. NIH adds that PHLD runs lab-based surveillance for human, avian and swine influenza, and for bacterial meningitis, with help from the US Centers for Disease Control and WHO.

Ten departments sit inside the division

NIH lists the departments as Virology and Molecular Biology, Microbiology, Hematology, Histopathology, Cytogenetic, Chemical Pathology, Immunology, Electron Microscopy, Reproductive Physiology and Parasitology. Virology has run since the late 1970s.

The virology department studies polioviruses, influenza, measles, rubella, hepatitis A, B and C, haemorrhagic fever viruses and others. NIH says the department's influenza strains help set the regional yearly flu vaccine mix. Results feed WHO's FluNet site.

NIH is building wastewater surveillance for 33 pathogens

NIH says it is setting up a National Wastewater Environmental Surveillance programme. It plans to use metagenomic sequencing, which reads the genes in a sample, to monitor 33 nationally prioritised pathogens. NIH says it can warn early of outbreaks and drug resistance.

This is a program description, not a service you can book. The page gives no start date, so we treat it as under way, not complete.

How to ask whether the lab can test your sample

NIH's page does not say a patient can walk in with a doctor's slip. A private person should phone first, and confirm the test, the fee and the sample rules before travelling.

One service is documented. NIH's drinking water brochure tells people to send water samples to its Islamabad laboratory, as we explain in our guide to making drinking water safe at home. For dengue blood tests you can order from a private lab, see the prices in the NS1, IgM and CBC guide.

1. Phone +92 (51) 9255110 during office hours, Monday to Saturday.
2. Ask for the Public Health Laboratories Division and name the test you need.
3. Ask whether they accept individual samples or only referrals from a doctor or hospital.
4. Ask the fee, the sample rules and when the report will be ready.
5. Bring your CNIC, the doctor's request and any earlier reports.

Where the lab fits in outbreak news

When a weekly outbreak report names suspected cases of dengue, typhoid or measles, those numbers come from NIH's disease surveillance. The lab division is the confirmation arm behind them. That is why NIH calls it a reference laboratory, and why its work matters even if you never visit.

For the weekly counts, see our reports on dengue and chikungunya cases in week 38. Those figures are suspected cases, and NIH's tables do not say how many were lab confirmed.

Common questions about the NIH public health lab

When is the NIH Public Health Laboratories Division open?

NIH's website footer lists Monday to Saturday, 8 am to 4 pm, with Sunday closed. Hours can change, so confirm by phone.

Can I walk in for a dengue test?

NIH's page does not say. It names dengue among the diseases the division covers, but it lists no public test menu, so phone first.

How much do tests cost?

We found no fee list on the pages we read, so we give no figure.

What is a reference laboratory?

It is the lab that confirms or studies cases that other labs send in. NIH calls PHLD the apex national reference public health lab.

Does PHLD confirm polio cases?

NIH says PHLD houses one of six Regional Reference Laboratories for polio. The page does not describe each case process.

How we verified this

What we checked, where we read it, and what we could not confirm.

Last checked 14 October 2026. The division description comes from NIH's National Health Laboratory page, and the hours and phone lines come from the footer of NIH's website. We did not visit the lab or ask about walk-in tests. We found no fee list, so none is given.