The anthrax samples were shipped from an Army facility in Utah to as many as nine states, as well as a base in South Korea. More than two dozen people may have been exposed, but authorities said there is no risk to the public.
Victor R. Caivano / ASSOCIATED PRESS
Up to 26 people have received precautionary treatment for anthrax exposure after a U.S. Army facility in Utah accidentally shipped the live spores out, the Associated Press reported.
No was no known immediate risk to the public, officials said.
"There is no known risk to the general public, and there are no suspected or confirmed cases of anthrax infection in potentially exposed lab workers," Pentagon spokesman Col. Steve Warren said.
Authorities confirmed live spores had been shipped from Dugway Proving Ground to a lab in Maryland, the AP reported, and anthrax samples from the same batch may have gone to labs in nine other locations.
One of the potentially live samples went to Osan Air Base in South Korea, where personnel had expected to receive inert spores to use in a training exercise. The contained area was immediately cordoned off, officials said, and the sample was destroyed.
Personnel involved in the training had been following anthrax handling procedures, but 22 people received precautionary treatment measures, which can include antibiotics and vaccines. An anthrax vaccine is mandatory for services members serving in Korea and Central Command for 15 days or more, as well as those serving in some specialty units.
Four other people in three U.S. commercial labs were also potentially exposed and have received preventive treatment, the AP reported.
SOURCE: BuzzFeed
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