CDC Lab Head Resigns Over Anthrax Snafu

The director of the government lab responsible for the anthrax exposure scandal last month has resigned. On Wednesday, the Centers for Disease Control confirmed that Michael Farrell, the head of the agency’s Bioterror Rapid Response and Advanced Technology Laboratory, had officially stepped down. Following the revelation that anthrax had been improperly handled and put dozens of workers at risk, Farrell had been reassigned. An internal investigation shows the CDC had at least five separate incidents involving the mishandling of anthrax, botulism and a deadly strain of the avian flu during the last decade. CDC director Thomas Frieden admitted, “We need to greatly improve the culture of safety.”