The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is observing a laboratory technician who possibly was exposed to the Ebola virus on Monday afternoon. His observation period is for 21 days, the incubation time of the fatal disease.
The technician handled samples of Ebola, which researchers were studying in a highly secure lab setting, in a less secured laboratory in Atlanta, reports Washington Post.
The error was discovered on Tuesday when the researchers saw the materials in their Level 4 freezer in the Ebola research lab when it was supposed to be sent to another less-secure lab in the same building.
Upon investigation, they found that the dangerous material with possibly live Ebola virus was placed in the spot to be transferred to another laboratory, while the less-dangerous material supposed to be in that spot was placed in the Level 4 freezer.
CBC officials said the technician in the second lab, who was possibly exposed to the dangerous materials, should have seen the error based on the color codes on the test tubes. Upon discovery of the mix-up, the CDC ordered the lab decontaminated and the material, destroyed.
The CDC also made a second decontamination procedure on that lab and had it closed for the meantime, while transfers of materials from the high-security labs were halted pending the completion of an ongoing review.
Besides the technician, other CDC employees who entered the lab where the error happened were also tested if they were exposed to the virus, but no one was infected, said CDC spokesman Thomas Skinner.
It is not the first time that dangerous samples were mishandled by CDC staff. A few months ago, samples of anthrax and flu were similarly mixed-up.
CDC Director Dr. Thomas P. Frieden said he found the incident troubling and said there would be a full review. Because of the first two incidents, he said thousands of CDC scientists "have taken extraordinary steps in recent months to improve safety."
He stressed, "No risk to staff is acceptable, and our efforts to improve lab safety are essential - the safety of our employees is our highest priority."
