Of course we all understand that mistakes happen, but it’s slightly more disconcerting when it not only involves the virus that has terrified many parts of the country, but that it happened at one of the most respected research centers in the world.
Regardless, a sample of the live Ebola virus could have come in contact with a technician who was only prepared to handle a killed sample at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lab in Atlanta, according to federal officials. The technician will be monitored for the 21-day incubation period. The samples never left the CDC campus, so there is reportedly no risk to the public.
The New York Times explained what exactly happened:
The error occurred on Monday, when a high-security lab, working with Ebola virus from the epidemic in West Africa, sent samples that should have contained killed virus to another C.D.C. laboratory, down the hall.
But the first lab sent the wrong samples — ones that may have contained the live virus. The second lab was not equipped to handle live Ebola. The technician there who worked with the samples wore gloves and a gown, but no face shield, and may have been exposed.
The mixup was discovered on Tuesday, Dr. Stuart Nichol, chief of the C.D.C.’s Viral Special Pathogens Branch, said in an interview. He ascribed it to human error.
In a statement, Dr. Thomas R. Frieden, director of the C.D.C., said he was “troubled by this incident” and promised “a full review of every aspect.”
