A defense official revealed that four employees of the United States Department of Defense (DoD) have been put in post-exposure treatment after the revelation the military transported live anthrax samples in the past few days. According to the official, apart from the four employees, about 22 have been put in post-exposure treatment.

According to reports, a lab situated in Maryland received the live samples, which caused a review to check whether there is another live anthrax which has been shipped. Officials said that they are worried as samples left over at a lab in Utah were tested and they found having an agent. The lab in Utah is the place where the samples had originated.

As per the reports, the live anthrax samples were accidentally transported from a United States military laboratory in Utah to labs in nine states. The samples were sent by trucks, the officials said.

While providing information about the samples, a Defense Department spokesman, Army Col. Steve Warren, said that the department has not found any risk to the general public due to the samples, and there is no report about cases of anthrax infection in lab workers.

According to the authorities, the samples of anthrax were shipped from Dugway Proving Ground, Utah, to government and commercial labs in Maryland, Texas, Delaware, Wisconsin, Tennessee, New Jersey, New York, Virginia and California. A sample was also transported to Osan Air Base in South Korea.

The official announced on Wednesday that four people were recommended for preventive treatment. More than twenty people in Osan, who have been exposed to anthrax infection, were given antibiotics.

In a statement, Warren said, "Out of an abundance of caution the Defense Department has stopped the shipment of this material from its labs pending completion of the investigation".