Samples of the plague and equine encephalitis may have been improperly labeled at a Defense Department lab in Maryland, the Pentagon confirmed Thursday.
Peter Cook, Pentagon press secretary, said the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found samples of the two biological agents in a freezer outside of the containment area during a spot inspection of the Army’s Edgewood Chemical Biological Center in August. There was some question about whether those samples were properly labeled when CDC investigators reviewed the inventory log.
The findings come months after the military mistakenly shipped live anthrax samples to labs across the country and around the world. Dugway Proving Ground in Utah first failed to kill live spores with radiation, then failed to catch that some spores were still live with a secondary test before shipment.
The anthrax mistakes launched a department-wide review of procedures for handling dangerous biological agents, as well as an investigation within the Army to hold someone accountable for the live shipments. The results of that review are expected in October, Cook said.
The Army extended a moratorium on work involving anthrax to include halting experimentation and shipment on the “vast majority” of biological agents last week.
It’s unclear if any live samples of the plague or equine encephalitis were shipped, Cook said.
Symptoms of the plague, which famously killed millions in Europe in the Middle Ages, include fever, chills and headaches, according to the CDC. The death rate is about 10 percent, as it can be successfully treated with antibiotics.
People typically get equine encephalitis through a mosquito bite, and only about five to 10 cases are reported in the U.S. each year, according to the CDC. The disease cannot be spread between people. Symptoms of equine encephalitis include headache, fever, vomiting and can include swelling of the brain.
About a third of those who contract it die, and many who survive suffer brain damage, a CDC fact sheet said. There is no specific treatment for the illness.
