Deadly Flu Virus Shipments Missing

Specimen Samples Bound For Lebanon, Mexico Unaccounted For

(AP) 
The five other countries with labs that received the kits were Saudi Arabia, Bermuda, Brazil, Israel and Japan. Stohr said Saudi Arabia had five labs with samples; four had already completed the destruction of the virus.

The other four countries had not yet sent confirmation but had received instructions to destroy the virus.

Most of the samples were sent starting last year at the request of the College of American Pathologists, or CAP, which helps labs do proficiency testing. The last shipments were sent out in February. It wasn't clear when the shipments were supposed to have gone to Mexico and Lebanon.

"We don't know where these boxes got lost, but the investigation into what has happened between the shipment of these panels and their non-arrival is ranking very high on our 'to do' list," Stohr said.

"We are worried, but CAP said there is a possibility they were never sent. (Otherwise), I cannot say at this stage what we would possibly do," Stohr said. "The carrier, the transporter and packager would have to be questioned particularly about these packages.