Johns Hopkins Evacuates Two Lab Buildings After Release Of Tuberculosis Research Sample
Also, several staffers were isolated after the frozen sample was mistakenly released at the lab, where research is performed on the airborne infection.
The Washington Post:
Johns Hopkins Hospital Sites Evacuated After Possible Tuberculosis Exposure
Buildings at a Baltimore hospital were evacuated Thursday after employees were possibly exposed to tuberculosis, officials said. The Baltimore City Fire Department responded to Johns Hopkins Hospital to investigate after “a small sample of frozen tuberculosis” being used for research purposes was inadvertently released in an internal bridge between Cancer Research Building 1 and Cancer Research Building 2, Johns Hopkins Medicine spokeswoman Kim Hoppe said in a statement. (Moyer, 7/5)
The Wall Street Journal:
Johns Hopkins Evacuates Two Lab Buildings After Tuberculosis Scare
The bacteria, which usually attacks the lungs and can require months of treatment, was released from a “small sample of frozen tuberculosis” in a walkway between two cancer-research buildings, said Ms. Hoppe. The sample was used for research. The release triggered a heavy emergency response outside the complex of Johns Hopkins hospital buildings, including the shutdown of the two used for cancer research. A “limited number” of workers who were in the area at the time of the release were isolated, according to Connor Scott, chief of staff in the health system’s security office. (Evans and McKay, 7/5)
