75 Workers At Center For Disease Control Possibly Exposed To Anthrax

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says some of its staff in Atlanta may have been accidentally exposed to dangerous anthrax bacteria because of a safety problem at one of its labs.

For those unfamiliar, anthrax is caused by the bacteria Bacillus anthracis.
Here's what a lab sample looks like:



It takes inhalation of anywhere from 10,000 to 20,000 spores to be fatal without immediate treatment.

The potential exposure occurred after researchers working in a high-level biosecurity laboratory at the agency's Atlanta campus failed to follow proper procedures to inactivate the bacteria. They then transferred the samples to lower-security CDC labs not equipped to handle live anthrax. Because workers believed the samples were inactivated, they were not wearing adequate protective equipment.

www.nbcnews.com...

Reports indicate that the risk of infection is low and antibiotics will be administered. Minor quarantine will most likely be applied until the contamination can be contained. It can't be spread directly from person to person but contact with infected skin and clothing must be avoided. Symptoms are flu like followed by pneumonia and respiratory collapse. Gastrointestinal disturbances and skin infections are also common.

Here's a not so pretty picture of a skin infection:



Let's hope these guys get treated as quickly as possible and that the careless neglect like what is said to have happened can be avoided although I know things do happen sometimes. All should be well though and for anyone who thought this was a biochemical attack of some sort don't fret, I believe it was just a mistake in following proper protocol when handling these samples.

For more information on anthrax look here.

What?

I thought those places were more secure than anything...Someone screwed up.

Already posted;

www.abovetopsecret.com...

Please add to the ongoing.

~Tenth