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Carter Vows to Find Those Responsible for Anthrax Shipment


FILE - U.S. Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter delivers a speech during the 14th International Institute for Strategic Studies Shangri-la Dialogue, or IISS, Asia Security Summit, May 30, 2015, in Singapore.
FILE - U.S. Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter delivers a speech during the 14th International Institute for Strategic Studies Shangri-la Dialogue, or IISS, Asia Security Summit, May 30, 2015, in Singapore.

U.S. Defense Secretary Ashton Carter says he will find out who is responsible for mistaken shipments of live samples of the deadly anthrax bacteria sent by a Defense Department laboratory.

Carter described the shipments as an "unfortunate incident" while speaking during a visit to Vietnam's Navy headquarters in the port city of Hai Phong.

He said the Pentagon is working to limit any public health consequences and working to ensure that it never happens again.

The U.S. military said on Friday that there were more accidental deliveries of live anthrax spores than originally thought.

Officials say that live anthrax samples, from a U.S. military laboratory in the state of Utah, were shipped to 24 laboratories in 11 U.S. states and two foreign countries — South Korea and Australia.

The Pentagon has ordered a comprehensive review of the laboratory procedures.

Contact with live anthrax can lead to a severe flu-like illness that could be fatal if not treated early.

The Pentagon said Thursday that it has stopped shipping anthrax spores while the incident is being investigated.

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