Early results of environmental tests at labs at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) where workers were possibly exposed to Bacillus anthracis after a lapse in safety protocols are negative, suggesting contamination or release was unlikely, a spokesman for the agency said today.
Benjamin Haynes, senior press officer for the CDC's infectious disease team, told CIDRAP News that the CDC will continue monitoring the samples until the end of the week before confirming the lack of contamination. He said the affected labs will not be reopened until they have been cleared for safe operation.
The CDC's probe of the incident will conclude in early July, and a US Department of Agriculture (USDA) investigation will go on throughout this week, Haynes said.
Report of reassignment
In other developments, Michael Farrell, PhD, director of the CDC lab involved in the possible anthrax exposure, has been reassigned while the agency investigates the event, Reuters reported today, attributing the information to scientists at the lab who are not authorized to speak on the subject. CDC officials have declined to comment on Farrell's reassignment, and Farrell has not responded to queries from Reuters.
The CDC is monitoring the health of and has offered prophylactic treatment and anthrax vaccination to 84 employees who may have been exposed to B anthracis. Haynes said so far none of them have reported symptoms consistent with infection.
Senate request
In a related development today, a US Senate committee today asked the CDC for information about the lapse in safety protocols that led to the possible exposure, along with steps the agency plans on taking to prevent future incidents. The request came from a bipartisan group of four members of the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
In a letter to CDC Director Tom Frieden, MD, MPH, the committee members said they had serious concerns and questions about the lab's procedures.
"Of additional concern is the fact that the HELP committee, which has jurisdiction over the CDC, the select agent program, and biomedical research generally, did not learn of this incident until nearly after a week after it was detected," the group wrote. They requested a briefing and written explanation from Frieden.
See also:
Jun 23 Reuters story
Jun 23 Senate HELP committee statement
