CDC now recognizes pattern of agency safety problems, director says

(Reuters) - The director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Wednesday said that he now recognizes a pattern of safety problems and said he will take sweeping measures to improve the culture of safety at the CDC. The comments by Dr Thomas Frieden came as part of testimony before a U.S. congressional subcommittee investigating recent lapses in safety in the handling of anthrax and avian influenza. "In hindsight, we realize we missed a crucial pattern: a pattern of incidents that reflect the need to improve the culture of safety at CDC," Frieden said. (Reporting by Michele Gershberg; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)