The Department of Defense has ordered a review of all labs following revelations that the number of labs that received live anthrax samples is larger than first reported.
“As of now, 24 laboratories in 11 states and two foreign countries are believed to have received suspect samples. We continue to work closely with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), who is leading the ongoing investigation pursuit to its statutory authorities. The Department will continue to monitor the situation and provide updates to the public,” Defense Department said in a statement.
The Defense Department had previously reported labs in nine states and Osan Air Force Base in South Korea were impacted.
As a result of the inadvertent shipments, the Defense Department will do a review of all previously reported inactive spores to ensure there are no additional live samples in distribution.
In addition, the Centers for Disease Control will conduct an investigation to determine how the irradiation procedures failed to render the samples inert, what potential procedures could have prevented the release of live spores, and any steps necessary to fix the problems.
“The department takes this matter very seriously and is acting with urgency to address this matter and Work expects review findings within 30 days,” Defense said.
