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by Sgt. 1st Class Sharon McBride
40th Public Affairs Detachment
SOUTHWEST ASIA (Nov. 1, 2006) - Based upon the continued threat to servicemembers deployed to the United States Central Command and Korea, the Department of Defense has issued a policy to resume the mandatory Anthrax Vaccine Immunization Program.
"The licensed vaccine is consistent with the Food and Drug Administration regulatory guidelines and will be mandatory for personnel assigned to or deployed within the CENTCOM area of operations for 15 or more consecutive days once CENTCOM and Headquarters Department of the Army publish their implementation guidance," said Maj. Dennis Kilian, the Third Army/ U.S. Army Central Force Health Protection Officer.
According to the DoD, several countries have or are developing an offensive biological warfare capability using anthrax.
"As always, our best protection is a protective posture," said Kilian. "The threat is real, and failure to prepare would result in grave consequences," states the DoD in a new policy statement.
A former director of the Central Intelligence Agency, James Woolsey, referred to anthrax as "the single most dangerous threat to our national security in the foreseeable future."
Anthrax is a deadly infection caused by a spore-forming bacterium. Anthrax which has a long shelf life, can be produced in large quantities without sophisticated equipment, and can be loaded into a variety of weapons, states the DoD.
"It is a naturally occurring spore," said Kilian. "The disease it causes has been documented since the 'Old Testament' days. Once a person is exposed they have 'flu-like' symptoms. If exposed and they contract the disease, personnel treated within 72 hours are likely to recover."
Protection is a two step process. The first step is vaccination and the second, after exposure, is being put on antibiotics. Servicemembers who receive both the vaccine and antibiotics after exposure are far more likely to recover than those who only receive antibiotics post exposure, he said.
"Servicemembers who do not receive the vaccine will be more vulnerable to the disease. Any loss of life could threaten others in their unit who depend on them and could jeopardize the success of the mission," said Kilian.
Servicemembers already in theater should anticipate beginning the vaccination series at the beginning of 2007 depending upon CENTCOM and HQDA guidance. For those who have started the series and want to voluntary continue, they can, said Kilian.
"There's no need to start over," Kilian said. "At three shots the vaccine is 95 percent effective."
But is the vaccine safe? According to the DoD, 20 safety studies of more than 800,000 vaccine recipients establish the safety of the vaccine. But as with any vaccine, injection site reactions occur.
Mild injection-site reactions, such as redness, swelling and tenderness [less than one inch], occur in up to 30 percent of men and 60 percent of women.
About one in 100 develop a reaction five inches or larger. Such symptoms resolve on their own in a few days.
The rate of side effects away from the injection site – fatigue, headache, muscle or join pain –occur in five percent to 35 percent of vaccine recipients; again, they typically resolve within 24 to 48 hours.
If a servicemember has a serious reaction to anthrax vaccine, they should report to their healthcare provider.
This provider will determine future anthrax vaccine schedules for that individual. Members of the armed forces to include civilian employees and contractors are required to get vaccinations as long as they remain in the higher threat area. For those who are no longer deployed to a higher threat area or no longer assigned special mission roles, these later vaccine doses will be on a voluntary basis.
"There will be plenty of vaccination to accommodate everyone here," said Kilian. A plan will be published for unit and individual resumption of the anthrax vaccine.
| Date Taken: | 11.01.2006 |
| Date Posted: | 11.01.2006 09:26 |
| Story ID: | 8197 |
| Location: | (UNDISCLOSED LOCATION) |
| Web Views: | 426 |
| Downloads: | 258 |
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