Ebola Alert in U.S as CDC Worker gets exposed to the sample Virus

                                                                                                                                             REUTERS/Tami Chappell

A scientist has been reportedly exposed to the Ebola virus  mistakenly so also as many in dozen others the lab are being monitored for potential exposure at a lab of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, agency officials said Wednesday.


The incident leading to the exposure took place Monday when scientists conducting research on the virus at a high-security lab mistakenly transferred a sample containing the potentially infectious virus to another CDC lab, also in Atlanta on the CDC campus.

The technician has no symptoms of illness and is being monitored for 21 days. Agency officials said others who entered the lab have been contacted, and based on assessments, it’s likely no one else was exposed. They said the number of people who entered the lab could be as many as a dozen but more likely far fewer.

“I am troubled by this incident in our Ebola research laboratory in Atlanta,” said CDC Director Tom Frieden in a statement. “We are monitoring the health of one technician who could possibly have been exposed and I have directed that there be a full review of every aspect of the incident and that CDC take all necessary measures. Thousands of laboratory scientists in more than 150 labs throughout CDC have taken extraordinary steps in recent months to improve safety. No risk to staff is acceptable, and our efforts to improve lab safety are essential — the safety of our employees is our highest priority.”


Credit: Washington post