White House calls for labs to check inventories

In a memorandum, the White House said all federally funded labs working with infectious agents must take "immediate and longer-term steps" to enhance biosafety and biosecurity, including taking an inventory of infectious samples and reviewing safety and security protocols. The memo was sent to federal agencies earlier this month but made publicly available on Thursday.

The request follows "three recent U.S. biosafety and biosecurity incidents," including the potential, unintentional exposure of laboratory personnel at a U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lab to viable anthrax. ...