Lab mistake may have exposed CDC worker to Ebola virus

Lab mistake may have exposed CDC worker to Ebola virus
(Image credit: Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

A laboratory error at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta may have exposed a lab technician to the deadly Ebola virus, federal officials said Wednesday. The error occurred when the high-security lab accidentally sent the wrong samples, which may have contained the live virus, to another lab that was not equipped to work with them on Monday. The technician will be monitored for symptoms for 21 days, and officials say that since the samples never left the CDC campus, there is no risk to the public.

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Samantha Rollins

Samantha Rollins is TheWeek.com's news editor. She has previously worked for The New York Times and TIME and is a graduate of Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism.