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Under sharp questioning from members of Congress on Wednesday, Dr. Thomas Frieden, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, admitted that recent laboratory accidents involving flu viruses and anthrax were not isolated mistakes, but rather part of a broader problem of unsafe practices at the agency.
Similar blunders had occurred before, but in addressing them, Dr. Frieden said, “We missed the broader pattern.”
Dr. Frieden, other officials and biosafety experts testified at a hearing held by a House Energy and Commerce subcommittee to review an accident last month in which dozens of C.D.C. employees were potentially exposed to deadly anthrax spores.
The bacteria were sent from one laboratory without being properly killed off, and could have infected dozens of people along the way. So far, no one has fallen ill, but Dr. Frieden called the episode a “tipping point” that has forced the agency to realize that safety procedures must be improved.
Lawmakers were also sharply critical of the C.D.C.’s response. A memo by the subcommittee detailed a series of lapses, including that one of...