Скачать или смотреть Pentagon accidentally sends live Anthrax spores to laboratories in 9 US states

Originally published on 27 May, 2015

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A U.S. military facility in Utah mistakenly sent live anthrax bacteria to laboratories in nine U.S. states and a U.S. military base in South Korea, the Pentagon said on Wednesday.

The anthrax sent from the Utah military lab was meant to be shipped in an inactive state, according to the Pentagon. The move is part of an effort to develop a field-based test to identify biological threats, Reuters reported.

A laboratory in Maryland was the first to report that it had received live spores of the anthrax bacteria.

U.S. defence officials say authorities are acting out of an “abundance of caution,” but there doesn’t appear to be a threat to public health. However, four U.S. civilians have been started on post-exposure prophylaxis, a preventive measure. This medication usually includes the anthrax vaccine, antibiotics, or both.

The four civilians recommended medication were "doing procedures that sent the agent into the air," according to Jason McDonald, a spokesman for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). However, they are said to be at "minimal" risk.

Twenty-two personnel at a U.S. Air Force Base in South Korea have also been given emergency medical treatment after being exposed to a possible live sample of anthrax, the U.S. military said in a statement on Thursday.

The CDC has begun an investigation into the incident.

Reuters reports, “When anthrax becomes airborne, it can cause a deadly illness called inhalation anthrax. That is what happened in 2001, when anthrax sent through the U.S. mail to government and media targets killed five people.”

The CDC says it has launched an investigation into the situation.

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