Air Force personnel in South Korea treated for possible anthrax exposure

Twenty-two personnel at a U.S. Air Force Base in South Korea have been given emergency medical treatment after being exposed to a possible live sample of anthrax, the U.S. military said in a statement on Thursday.

The anthrax was destroyed on Wednesday when a sample initially expected to be inactive and destined for a training exercise was suspected of being live, according to a statement by the U.S. Air Force 51st Fighter Wing in the South Korean city of Osan, 35 kms (21 miles) south of Seoul.

None of the personnel in contact with the sample showed signs of exposure, the statement said, but were given "appropriate medical precautionary measures to include examinations, antibiotics and in some instances, vaccinations".

(Reporting by James Pearson; Editing by Michael Perry)