MOSCOW, December 25 (Sputnik) – A technician may have been exposed to Ebola after a high-security containment lab at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta mistakenly sent live samples of the deadly virus to a less secure facility down the hall, the Washington Post reports, citing US officials.
The technician did not show symptoms of Ebola when examined. He will be monitored for 21 days, the incubation period of the virus. The person’s name has not been made public.
Several other employees entered the facility at the time of the incident. However, they are unlikely to have been exposed to the virus, the New York Times reported, citing Thomas Skinner, a CDC spokesman.
"At this time, we know of only … one potential exposure," Dr. Thomas R. Frieden, the CDC director, told the Washington Post. Frieden added he was "troubled by this incident", as quoted by NBC News.
"I have directed that there be a full review of every aspect of the incident and that CDC take all necessary measures," Frieden said in a statement, as quoted by NBC News.
The lab was decontaminated twice following the incident, said Barbara Reynolds, a CDC spokeswoman, according to the Seattle Times. There is no risk to the public.
In recent months, the CDC has been severely criticized for mishandling dangerous samples of various diseases, including anthrax and flu.
