Nearly 75 Atlanta Based Staff May Have Been Exposed to Anthrax: CDC

The U.S. federal regulators announced that over 70 CDC staff members may have been exposed to anthrax as established safety practices were not followed.

In a latest announcement Thursday, officials of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stated that they were currently monitoring 75 Atlanta based staff as they might have been exposed to live Bacillus anthracis (anthrax).

Effective measures are being taken to protect the health of the staff by giving protective courses of antibiotics. However, it is believed that the risk of infection is low based on the potential exposure scenarios.

Anthrax is a serious infectious disease that affects both humans and animals. The federal regulators are confident that other CDC staff, family members as well as the general public are not at risk of exposure and do not  have to take  any protective measures.

Initial reports reveal that one of CDC's Roybal campus biosafety level 3 (BSL3) lab was preparing B.anthracis samples for research at low biosafety levels and did not adhere to proper safety measures to inactivate the samples.

These samples were shifted and used in experiments in three CDC Roybal campus labs that were not equipped to deal with live B.anthracis.  Workers thought the samples were inactivate and did not wear protective equipment while working with the samples.  The investigators also determined that in two labs the procedures used may have aerosolized the spores. The authorities decontaminated the labs.

"The unintentional exposure was discovered June 13 when the original bacterial plates were gathered for disposal and B. anthraciscolonies (live bacteria) were found on the plates. These plates had appeared negative for B. anthracis at the time samples were distributed to the other CDC laboratories.  The review began immediately to assess the health risk, and those workers handling the plates were immediately notified," said CDC.