Joint Investigation Finds Additional Anthrax Spores Shipped to South Korea
The investigation into the live anthrax spores shipped to the US military in South Korea has uncovered numerous other shipments of anthrax. However, those shipments featured dead spores unlike the one that was mistakenly shipped to South Korea that had live spores in it. Fortunately no one who was exposed to the live spores has contracted anthrax:
A probe by Seoul and Washington into an erroneous shipment of a live anthrax sample to a U.S. military base in Korea revealed on Thursday that samples of the deadly bacteria have been brought into the country many more times over the past six years than initially known.
Since 2009, a total of 16 anthrax samples were brought into the country by the United States Forces Korea (USFK) without the knowledge of Korean authorities, according to the results of the joint investigation.
The USFK initially told the Korean government in May that only a single anthrax sample was shipped here and that it was the first time for such an occurrence.
A live anthrax sample was mistakenly shipped in late April to the Osan Air Base in Gyeonggi, where 22 personnel were possibly exposed to live anthrax spores.
These exposed researchers and staff took antibiotics and vaccines and have not contracted the disease so far, and the live bacteria sample was immediately destroyed. However, there was an outcry in Seoul over the potential risks.
In response, the United States and Korea in July formed a joint task force to investigate how live anthrax shipments entered Korea undetected. It was composed of military and foreign affairs officials.
The 15 other anthrax samples were shipped to the U.S. military base in Yongsan District, central Seoul, between 2009 and 2014 for biological testing purposes, according to the investigation.
Korean authorities said they were not aware of these anthrax shipments because customs officials here are not authorized to look into biochemical samples for the USFK that are labeled “inactivated.” [Joong Ang Ilbo]
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