CDC Scores Poorly on Biosafety

In the wake of numerous safety breaches at the federal agency, a new report finds US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention oversight “inconsistent and insufficient at multiple levels.”

Written byJef Akst

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WIKIMEDIA“Safety is not integrated into strategic planning and is not currently part of the CDC [US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] culture, enterprise-wide.” This is the conclusion of a new report evaluating the federal agency’s internal protocols.

The last nine months have been a public relations nightmare for the agency. In two separate incidents last summer, samples of live Bacillus anthracis were accidentally shipped to labs ill-equipped to handle the pathogen, and the CDC’s influenza lab mistakenly sent samples of the highly pathogenic H5N1 to a Department of Agriculture facility (instead of benign avian influenza virus). Then, in late December, another incorrect transfer of samples risked exposing a lab technician to Ebola.

Following these safety breaches, the CDC announced that it would hire a lab safety chief to oversee the handling of such dangerous pathogens, and brought an external work group of 11 biosafety and laboratory science experts in to assess its safety protocols. The group’s report—dated January 13 but just posted ...

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Meet the Author

Jef Akst
Jef (an unusual nickname for Jennifer) got her master’s degree from Indiana University in April 2009 studying the mating behavior of seahorses. After four years of diving off the Gulf Coast of Tampa and performing behavioral experiments at the Tennessee Aquarium in Chattanooga, she left research to pursue a career in science writing. As The Scientist's managing editor, Jef edited features and oversaw the production of the TS Digest and quarterly print magazine. In 2022, her feature on uterus transplantation earned first place in the trade category of the Awards for Excellence in Health Care Journalism. She is a member of the National Association of Science Writers.
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