Pentagon Accidentally Shipped Live Anthrax to Canada and Austalia

The Pentagon accidentally sent live anthrax samples to 28 government and private facilities all over the United States, an army base in South Korea, three laboratories in Canada, and Austalia. Two defense officials have recently confirmed this information.

According to TheVerge, the live anthrax samples were sent to 12 US states, including the District of Columbia and three other countries outside the US. The anthrax samples were sent from an army lab located at Dugway Proving Ground in Utah. Scientists from the Department of Defense were supposed to deactivate the chemical before they were shipped for further research. The same report states that there are no reports of infected people so far.

In a report by USA Today, Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said Pentagon will determine the people responsible for the shipment of the live anthrax samples to various US states and other countries. CDC's Office of Public Health Preparedness and Response deputy director Daniel Sosin suggested that the anthrax killing method of Dugway Proving Ground is ineffective. He said that the US government is now creating an approach to secure those anthrax samples to avoid any possible misuse.   

Some 22 military personnel stationed in the Osan Air Base in South Korea may be exposed to the bioweapon and are now receiving preventive treatment, a BBC report said. Four civilians in the US are also receiving treatment, even though the threat is minimal. The personnel in South Korea may have came in contact with the anthrax sample during a training event, said the US military, but there have yet been any signs of exposure so far. This same report confirms that Pentagon accidentally shipped live anthrax samples to various countries.

Breathing live anthrax will lead to flu-like symptoms and can be very fatal. The states where Pentagon accidentally shipped live anthrax samples are labs in Texas, Delaware, Wisconsin, New York, New Jersey, Tennessee, Virginia, California, and Maryland.