Johns Hopkins Hospital sites evacuated after possible tuberculosis exposure
Employees were in the area when the incident occurred, and these employees have been isolated and are expected to be evaluated by the fire department.
WMAR reports that a hazmat investigation is underway after tuberculosis was reportedly released into two Johns Hopkins cancer centers.
But authorities later confirmed "that there was no risk to anyone on campus", Hoppe said. The Baltimore City Fire and Rescue unit initiated hazmat protocols and, out of an abundance of caution, both research buildings were evacuated.
According to the received reports, a small bottle of frozen tuberculosis sample accidentally dropped down and fell to the floor with its lid open.
In a statement released Friday, Ken Willis, a spokesman for Johns Hopkins Medicine, said the latch on the transportation container "failed due to pressure from a secondary interior container holding dry ice".
Hospital officials said two buildings were evacuated and some people who had been exposed were sheltering in place, according to the local NBC affiliate WBAL.
"In fact, we have determined that there is actually no risk, zero risk to anybody involved".
Officials from the Baltimore City Department of Health also are reportedly on the scene.
Not everyone infected with the bacteria will become sick, but the most extreme cases can be fatal. The most common symptoms of the disease includes the person suffering with a bad cough for over three weeks, pain in the chest and coughing up sputum or blood.
One of the world's deadliest diseases - tuberculosis - made a rare stateside appearance Thursday.
Tuberculosis is a potentially serious infectious but treatable bacterial disease.
Dr. Landon King, executive vice dean of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, proclaimed there was no risk of contamination, says the Baltimore Sun. That same year, 9.272 cases were reported in the United States, and provisional data from 2017 found 9,093 cases.