The US Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has released a report saying a number of its scientists may have been exposed to the deadly Ebola virus. The scientists are said to have transferred a live Ebola sample to another lab by mistake. According to the standard procedures at CDC labs, the sample should have been inactivated before transfer.
The reported incident occurred in a secure CDC lab in Atlanta, when the experimental live virus was on a sealed plate, and was unintentional transferred to another lab. The scientist who first handled the sample wore gloves and protective clothing but no mask.And the CDC now says that he will be monitored for the next 21 days for any sign of the deadly virus. Other scientists who were present in the lab when the mistake happened are also being monitored.
This error is one of a few others to take place this year. In early 2014, two cases of mishandling of anthrax and avian samples were reported by the CDC. Questions were raised inquiring about the safety practices being employed by the research institute. But while the latest error is likely to attract more criticism as pressure builds for CDC to streamline its safety protocols in its laboratories, the CDC continues to adamantly defend its safety protocols in place and use human error as the main cause for these cases.
CDC spokeswoman Barbara Reynolds says that the technician who handled the live Ebola virus was not at high risk and had not been quarantined, though he is being observed. She confirmed that the exposure was limited to the lab saying the public need not worry about being at risk of exposure to the virus.
The live deadly material was destroyed when the mistake was identified. Reynolds also says that the lab was also decontaminated under standard laboratory safety procedures at the CDC.
CDC director, Dr. Tom Frieden says that he was troubled by the latest error in handling the Ebola virus at a CDC lab in Atlanta. "Thousands of laboratory scientists in more than 150 labs throughout CDC have taken extraordinary steps in recent months to improve safety."
Ebola virus is not transmitted through the air like flu viruses. At the lab, it may have been transmitted through direct physical contact from a surface that has been contaminated, though the likely physical contact at the Atlanta CDC lab may have been through the eyes, nose or mouth because the technician did not have a protective mask when he handled the virus. The Ebola virus is known to be extremely virulent via exchange of fluids from the body, which is why the CDC is taking extra safety measures to ensure that its scientists and no other individuals in the area are infected with Ebola.
