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CDC Closes Anthrax, Flu Labs After Potentially Deadly Mix-Ups Come to Light
In the wake of two potentially deadly accidents, the CDC yesterday announced the temporary closure of both the anthrax and flu research labs at the agency's Atlanta headquarters. The New York Times reports:
In one episode last month, at least 62 C.D.C. employees may have been exposed to live anthrax bacteria after potentially infectious samples were sent to laboratories unequipped to handle them. Employees not wearing protective gear worked with bacteria that were supposed to have been killed but may not have been. All were offered a vaccine and antibiotics, and the agency said it believed no one was in danger. “We have a high degree of confidence that no one was exposed,” said Dr. Thomas Frieden, the C.D.C. director. Credit David Goldman/Associated Press In a second accident, disclosed Friday, a C.D.C. lab accidentally contaminated a relatively benign flu sample with a dangerous H5N1 bird flu strain that has killed 386 people since 2003. Fortunately, a United States Agriculture Department laboratory realized that the strain was more dangerous than expected and alerted the C.D.C. ... The anthrax and flu labs will remain closed until new procedures are imposed, Frieden said. For the flu lab, that will be finished in time for vaccine preparation for next winter’s flu season, he said.
That is what should happen surely?
"People that do stupid things with dangerous objects often die."
Most ACs are not even worth the keystrokes to insult them. Be generically insulted by this and ignored otherwise.
If you think mistakes and carelessness are rare with level four viruses, I recommend The Hot Zone by Richard Preston.
If you remember you have something to live for, it will keep you up nights.
Happiness in intelligent people is the rarest thing I know.
Ernest Hemingway
The handling of deadly disease agents should be privatized and put into the hands of industry as soon as possible! Let the free market solve the problem!
I really, realy hope you aren't this stupid - anthrax spores can probably be cultured from the dirt in your backyard by any competent undergrad microbiology student.... sticking our head the sand and saying "LALALALALALALALA" works about as well in bacteriology as it does for global warming, the NSA, Wall Street corruption, etc.
Really hoping I've been Godwin-d.
> Employees not wearing protective gear worked with bacteria that were supposed to have been killed but may not have been.
So the employees didn't use protective gear during their work, and that got them slated for a killing? I can understand trying to contain an outbreak, but one would think they should have been quarantined and tested for infection before commencement with the killing. Who's in charge of this mickey mouse operation anyway?
YOu mean when an issue came to light the immediately started working on it to see that it's fixed?
Yes, that is government system at work,
Why do idiots like you thing privatized health care doesn't have incidents? oh right, because private companies can hush it up where as government entities have to be far more open.
Had this been private company, do you think you would have heard of it?
The Kruger Dunning explains most post on
In British law we have the slightly perverse sight of government instutition being charged in their own right - without the need to identify an individual. The outcome is fines paid by one part of government to another, but it does focus the leadership to get it right (my own police force has at least one conviction for health and safety violations arising from the death of police office).