[Peace-discuss] anthrax vaccine ramifications

[Dlind49 at aol.com]

Pilots Left Military Over Anthrax
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS


Filed at 12:53 a.m. ET


WASHINGTON (AP) -- Highly trained and experienced pilots and crews in the Air 
National Guard and Air Force Reserve are leaving or have left military 
service in part because of the Pentagon's anthrax vaccine, congressional 
investigators say in a report released Tuesday.

Randomly selected guard and reserve troops surveyed in 2000 by the General 
Accounting Office also reported adverse reactions to the vaccine at double 
the rate claimed by the manufacturer, BioPort Corp., the GAO said.

Military members who have left represent some of the most experienced and 
highly trained individuals in the Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve 
``and are people not easily replaced,'' the GAO said.

``While many factors can and do influence an individual's decision to 
participate in the military, a significant number of pilot and air crew 
members cited the required mandatory anthrax immunization as a key reason for 
reducing their participation or leaving the military altogether in 2000,'' 
the GAO said.

The GAO recommended that Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld require a 
surveillance program to monitor problems with the vaccine. The program should 
ensure complete and appropriate treatment and follow-up for those who 
experience problems or who may have them in the future, the auditors said.

In a response included with the report, the Defense Department disagreed with 
the GAO's recommendation and some of its findings. Reginald J. Brown, 
assistant secretary of the Army, cited a National Academy of Sceinces report 
that concluded there was no data that pointed to the need for a monitoring 
program. Brown also said the GAO's findings on rates of separation by pilots 
were not supported by data from the Defense Manpower Data Center and the GAO 
did not consider normal turnover rates.

The GAO mailed 1,253 surveys in May 2000 and received 843 responses, with 833 
providing useful information. The surveys were developed with the help of 
pilots and other aircrew members of the Air National Guard and Air Force 
Reserve.

The survey was conducted at the request of Rep. Dan Burton, R-Ind., chairman 
of the House Government Reform Committee.

``Anthrax is a serious threat that our soldiers might face on the 
battlefield. At the same time, this vaccine has been controversial, and it 
has caused serious reactions in some individuals,'' Burton said in a news 
release.

Anthrax is an acute infectious disease caused by spore-forming bacteria. Five 
people were killed in last year's anthrax attacks by mail. It is considered 
to be a possible biological weapon that could be used against U.S. troops.

Hundreds of thousands of U.S. troops have received vaccines to protect them 
against anthrax, particularly during the Persian Gulf War. After a long pause 
in the inoculation program, the pace of vaccinations was accelerated last 
month, officials said. Some veterans and researchers believe the vaccine is 
partly responsible for illnesses reported by Gulf War veterans.

According to the GAO survey, between September 1998 and September 2000, about 
16 percent of guard and reserve pilots and air crew had moved to inactive 
status, left the military or transferred to another unit -- mostly nonflying 
positions to avoid or delay receiving anthrax shots.

About 18 percent of those in or assigned to a unit indicated they planed to 
leave in the near future. The GAO said both groups ranked the anthrax vaccine 
as a key factor in their decision.

About 45 percent said they would consider returning if the anthrax 
immunization were voluntary.

The GAO estimated that about 37 percent of the service members surveyed had 
received one or more anthrax shots as of September 2000. Of those, 85 percent 
reported experiencing some sort of reaction, far higher than the 30 percent 
claimed by the vaccine manufacturer.

Each shot generated an average of four or more reported reactions, some that 
could have negative effects on the service member's job, the GAO said.

The GAO said it found two DOD studies of the vaccine, one in Korea and one in 
Hawaii, that reported similar reaction rates.

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On the Net:

General Accounting Office: http://www.gao.gov