US Genral Accounting Office (GAO) Recommends Anthrax Vaccine CURBS

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Date: Mon, 29 Jan 2001 07:15:15 -0500

From: Belkin

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Monday, January 29

ANTHRAX

Agency Recommends Anthrax Vaccine Curbs

By THOMAS D. WILLIAMS

The Hartford Courant

January 27, 2001

A federal watchdog group has found that the State Department should not

continue to give voluntary anthrax shots to its employees until it

determines whether there is an international terrorist threat of an anthrax

biological weapons attack.

The U.S. General Accounting Office's report this week may undermine the

Pentagon's separate, but mandatory, anthrax program.

Former Secretary of Defense Cohen ordered the Defense Department's

six-shot series inoculation program in 1997. He and other Pentagon

officials have argued that service members must take the vaccine or face

court martial because the biological weapons threat from terrorists and

enemy nations is so significant. They insist the vaccine has now been shown

to be safe and effective through tests of monkeys.

This week's GAO report says: " Diplomatic security officials in the State

Department and Central Intelligence Agency analysts agree that they have no

clear evidence that U.S. missions or interests overseas are threatened by

foreign state or terrorist attacks using biological or chemical agents at

this time. "

The GAO also found that 80 percent of 8,000 doses of the anthrax vaccine at

eight overseas State Department missions had to be destroyed because they

were not used before their expiration date; other doses the State

Department tried to give to the Defense Department before they expired were

improperly stored; and none of the vaccine recipients at one agency site

had received all the vaccinations required.

Previous GAO reports have said there is no evidence the vaccine is

effective against airborne anthrax spores. In addition, the GAO has

criticized the Defense Department, as it did the State Department in this

report, for ineffective monitoring of adverse reactions to the vaccine by

those inoculated.

State Department spokesmen told the GAO that its inquiry exaggerated the

department{rsquo}s problems and criticized some of its anthrax operation in

a way that was deceiving. They said the department{rsquo}s program has been

harmed by a shortage of the vaccine. Since a perceived threat of a

biological attack existed, the department had to do the best it could to

offer its employees protection, the spokesmen told the GAO.

The State Department did agree to obtain an up-to-date assessment of the

anthrax threat; to better monitor vaccine supplies; to survey its employees

about those truly wanting the vaccine; to improve monitoring of adverse

reactions and to ensure employees are vaccinated with all the required doses.

The vaccine manufacturer has run out of supplies of the old vaccine,

manufactured by a previous operator, and is awaiting approval of its own

lots. In the meantime, the Pentagon is ordering use of the vaccine only in

overseas areas it says are susceptible to biological attacks. The State

Department has discontinued use of the vaccine until new supplies are

available.

--------------------------------------------------------

Sheri Nakken, R.N., MA

Vaccination Information & Choice Network, Nevada City CA & UK

530-478-1242 Voicemail

http://www.nccn.net/~wwithin/vaccine.htm

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