Pfc. Matthew Clifton
MNC-I Public Affairs Office
17 June, 2005
Anthrax
CAMP VICTORY, Iraq -- Troops and military personnel deployed to certain "high risk" areas who have not been vaccinated for Anthrax will now be given the opportunity to receive the injections voluntarily thanks to an emergency Department of Defense authorization.
Recognizing the need to provide some kind of protection from Anthrax, the DoD requested through the Secretary of Health and Human Services that Anthrax vaccinations be available through what is known as an Emergency Use Authorization, Jones said.
"This authorization was crucial because the injunction put on the vaccinations restricted the voluntary administering of the vaccine as well as the mandatory," Jones said.
The EUA allows personnel to receive protection against chemical, biological and nuclear threats, such as Anthrax, through voluntary treatment.
The EUA was approved on Jan. 27, but there were many procedures that needed to be followed before the vaccinations could be distributed to where they were needed, Jones explained.
Prior to Oct. 27, 2004, the Anthrax Vaccine Immunization Program was a mandatory program implemented by the DoD that required personnel stationed in specific regions of the world to be vaccinated.
"On Oct. 27, a Judge from the United States District Court for the District of Columbia put an injunction on the program, effectively halting the mandatory vaccination for Anthrax," said Col. Steve Jones, director, Military Vaccine Agency, Office of the Army Surgeon General, Washington D.C.
The judge put an injunction on the program because the Food and Drug Administration needed to properly comply with certain procedures before stating that the anthrax vaccine was specifically effective against the inhalation of Anthrax, Jones said.
"The FDA has repeatedly stated that the vaccine does in fact protect against all forms of Anthrax exposure, but the judge has required certain procedures be followed before reinstating the mandatory vaccinations," Jones explained.
To implement the voluntary program in Iraq, for example, U.S. Central Command had to publish an implementation message. Multi-National Corps-Iraq then followed by publishing a fragmentary order, pushing information about the program down through each subordinate command, Jones continued.
"Now that we have authorization of the EUA, our goal is to go out and educate our Troops and personnel as to the benefits of the vaccination program," Jones said.
An individual must either be briefed on the specifics of the vaccination through a PowerPoint presentation, or be given an EUA pamphlet which explains the specifics of the vaccination procedures, according to www.anthrax.milEUA, a Web site providing more specific information about the program and its history.
"The individual must also be able to ask any questions or address any concerns about the procedure before deciding whether or not to accept the vaccine," Jones said.
Also, the providers of the vaccine are required to take a refresher course reviewing the correct way to administer the shots, Jones added.
After the individual decides to accept the treatment, it is just like any other vaccination. They sign in, get screened, roll up their sleeve and get the shot, Jones continued.
"We began administrating Anthrax vaccinations in this theater on June 11," Jones said. "The vaccinations can be received on the major Troop Medical Clinics of each base."
"The vaccine used for this program is the same vaccine licensed by the FDA back in 1970," Jones said. "We have given over 5 million doses of the vaccine to over 1.3 million military and civilian personnel since we started the mandatory vaccinations in 1998."
The main reason the vaccine was given to troops in Iraq is because of the threat against Anthrax spores, he added.
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| Date Taken: | 06.20.2005 |
| Date Posted: | 06.20.2005 10:10 |
| Story ID: | 2196 |
| Location: | BAGHDAD, IQ |
| Web Views: | 43 |
| Downloads: | 5 |
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