84 Workers Possibly Exposed to live Anthrax at CDC lab

Anthrax exposure cases at the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have increased to 84.

CDC spokesman Benjamin Haynes has said that the number of scientists affected by the exposure has increased from 75 on Thursday to 84 on Friday, according to Reuters.

 The agency had issued a statement on Thursday announcing that scientists were exposed to the live Bacillus anthracis (anthrax) due to staff negligence.

The unintentional exposure was found June 13, CNN reported.

The general public isn't at danger due to the anthrax exposure at CDC lab.

"Based on the review to date, CDC believes that other CDC staff, family members and the general public are not at risk of exposure and do not need to take any protective action," CDC said in a statement.

Around 32 people exposed to the bacteria were taking ciprofloxacin, which is a powerful antibiotic while 20 were using another antibiotic called doxycycline, Reuters reported. Also, about 27 people were vaccinated against anthrax to prevent infection. The agency expects the numbers of anthrax exposure cases to increase as the news of the incident is now public and more people who were at the accident site getting themselves tested.

The symptoms of anthrax depend on the type of infection and can take from 1 day to 2 months to appear, according to CDC.

"It is CDC's obligation to ensure that people feel safe and are safe in the workplace and the community as we conduct our life-saving laboratory work," the agency announced.

Usually, breach of safety norms at CDC labs is investigated by the CDC's Division of Select Agents and Toxins, DSAT. But now, due to conflict interest, The U.S. Department of Agriculture will be looking into the causes of the exposure, nbc news reported.