Unsafe anthrax shipments more extensive than first revealed
Government marches on! The Defense Department has now admitted that the improper shipment of live anthrax samples was far more widespread than they originally told us.
“As of now, 24 laboratories in 11 states and two foreign countries are believed to have received suspect samples. We continue to work closely with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), who is leading the ongoing investigation pursuit to its statutory authorities. The Department will continue to monitor the situation and provide updates to the public,” Defense Department said in a statement.
The Defense Department had previously reported labs in nine states and Osan Air Force Base in South Korea were impacted.
Words fail me.
On Christmas Eve 1968 three Americans became the first humans to visit another world. What they did to celebrate was unexpected and profound, and will be remembered throughout all human history. Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8, Robert Zimmerman's classic history of humanity's first journey to another world, tells that story, and it is now available as both an ebook and an audiobook, both with a foreword by Valerie Anders and a new introduction by Robert Zimmerman.
The ebook is available everywhere for $5.99 (before discount) at amazon, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. If you buy it from ebookit you don't support the big tech companies and the author gets a bigger cut much sooner.
The audiobook is also available at all these vendors, and is also free with a 30-day trial membership to Audible.
"Not simply about one mission, [Genesis] is also the history of America's quest for the moon... Zimmerman has done a masterful job of tying disparate events together into a solid account of one of America's greatest human triumphs."--San Antonio Express-News
Government marches on! The Defense Department has now admitted that the improper shipment of live anthrax samples was far more widespread than they originally told us.
“As of now, 24 laboratories in 11 states and two foreign countries are believed to have received suspect samples. We continue to work closely with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), who is leading the ongoing investigation pursuit to its statutory authorities. The Department will continue to monitor the situation and provide updates to the public,” Defense Department said in a statement.
The Defense Department had previously reported labs in nine states and Osan Air Force Base in South Korea were impacted.
Words fail me.
On Christmas Eve 1968 three Americans became the first humans to visit another world. What they did to celebrate was unexpected and profound, and will be remembered throughout all human history. Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8, Robert Zimmerman's classic history of humanity's first journey to another world, tells that story, and it is now available as both an ebook and an audiobook, both with a foreword by Valerie Anders and a new introduction by Robert Zimmerman.
The ebook is available everywhere for $5.99 (before discount) at amazon, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. If you buy it from ebookit you don't support the big tech companies and the author gets a bigger cut much sooner.
The audiobook is also available at all these vendors, and is also free with a 30-day trial membership to Audible.
"Not simply about one mission, [Genesis] is also the history of America's quest for the moon... Zimmerman has done a masterful job of tying disparate events together into a solid account of one of America's greatest human triumphs."--San Antonio Express-News
I just wanted to point out that after listening to the breathless news readers (who carefully avoid any references to any deficiencies in the administration). that this is not on par with accidentally sending live ebola virus around the world. Its not like they shipped weaponized anthrax endospores.
In fact, the bacterium Bacillus anthracis. is quite common. As are the saprogenic microorganisms (Clostridium perfringens or Bacillus fusiformis, for example) that are associated with certain forms of gangrene or the bacterium Clostridium tetani, that causes tetanus. All of these infectious agents are found in soil. (A cut from a rusty nail requires a tetanus shot not because it is rusty but because it was on the ground.)
Anthrax is common enough that all veterinarians in the United States are required to have up-to-date vaccinations against it and anyone that works around grazing animals would be well advised to protect themselves.
There is a reason why the border patrol asks if you have been to a farm or a ranch if you have been to Mexico. The highest concentration of anthrax in the world is just south of the border in Juarez.
The most common method of transmission of anthrax is through eating the meat of an infected animal. If you travel to Mexico, its a good idea to make sure the meat in your burrito is cooked “well-done”.
True, Anthrax is prevalent around the world and shows up when there is a cool and wet summer.
Do we know that the anthrax in question was not weaponized grade?
Phill O.