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04/14/2005 Entry: "17 samples of the Asian flu sent out to 17 labs for no reason at all."
Samples of the Asian flu sent out to 17 labs for no reason at all. No one knows who did this or why. It may just be an accident, and if it is there are serious specimen control problems in biohazard labs. Oh, labs in Saudi Arabia and Lebanon got samples too. Great. Why do I suddenly feel like I'm in a really bad made for TV movie?
How the virus wound up being included in a package of pathogens sent around the world was not clear, but Gerberding said health authorities would work to ensure such a lapse did not recur.Organizations responsible for testing and accrediting laboratories' quality routinely send out panels of unknown organisms to determine if the laboratory can accurately identify them.
In this case, the College of American Pathologists contracted with Meridian Bioscience Inc., of Cincinnati, Ohio, to create the panel, Gerberding said.
"It is almost impossible to believe they didn't know they were dealing with an H2N2," she added.
"It was probably a situation where the advantages of using a strain that grows well and can be readily manipulated in the lab were the driving force without even considering that ... it could potentially cause a hazard to not only the workers in the laboratory, but to the people in the community."
Gerberding said she did not know who made that decision. A company spokesman did not immediately return a call seeking comment.
Replies: 2 comments
Don't believe everything you read.
In fact, disbelieve most of what you read. Reporters are in the sensationalizin' business.
Posted by Loren @ 04/15/2005 04:47 AM CST
Geez, Loren, do you suppose that heads of the World Health Organization and the American CDC are in the sensationalizin' business, too?
This is something that has been more than adequately corroborated -- the only way you can disbelieve it is either to posit a worldwide conspiracy of misinformation which includes thousands of health professionals, government reps, and reporters from hundreds of disparate news organs, which has successfully supressed the dissemination of any contrary view --- or to embrace solipsism entirely.
Which way did you choose?
Posted by Larry Mudd @ 04/16/2005 02:09 PM CST
