Anthrax Vax - Three Articles NYT, Daily Telegram & MSNBC

[Guest guest]

From Randice

Also, make sure to check the link out with the PBS Special if you were not

able to check it out last night.

For those that couldn't Congressman Shays did a wonderful job!

New York Times

December 24, 2003

Defense Dept. Halts Anthrax Vaccinations

By Thom Shanker

The Pentagon will administer the anthrax vaccine, but only on a voluntary

basis, while the government considers its response to a Federal District

Court's ruling that military personnel cannot be forced to take the

vaccine, senior Defense Department officials said on Tuesday.

The military's senior officer, Gen. B. Myers, defended the use of

the vaccine as essential to safeguarding troops facing adversaries who may

attack with unconventional weapons.

" From a military standpoint, I think it's very important we have this

capability to protect our troops and enable them to do their job, " General

Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said in a news briefing.

General Myers and Defense Secretary H. Rumsfeld are among the one

million military personnel or Pentagon civilians who have received the

vaccine since 1998.

Pentagon officials said that several hundred military or Pentagon personnel

declined the vaccine in the initial years of the program, but that only 10

had refused vaccination since June 2002, when the program was accelerated

after supply problems were resolved. Since then, 600,000 to 700,000

military or Pentagon civilian personnel have received the vaccine.

On Monday, Judge Emmet G. Sullivan of United States District Court for the

District of Columbia issued a preliminary injunction halting the Pentagon

from " inoculating service members without their consent. " He ruled that the

vaccine used in the Pentagon's mandatory program was " an investigational

drug, " being used for an unapproved purpose.

Judge Sullivan sided with arguments that the vaccine was licensed to

protect against skin exposure to anthrax, but not against anthrax that is

inhaled.

Late on Tuesday, Justice Department officials said that no decisions had

yet been made on the government's legal response.

" It's still under review, and no determination has been made at this time

as to what our next step will be, " said S. , spokesman for

the Justice Department's civil division.

At the Pentagon, senior officials disputed Judge Sullivan's reasoning and

his facts.

" We stand behind this program, " said Dr. Winkenwerder, assistant

secretary of defense for health affairs. " The anthrax vaccine is safe and

effective. "

He said that the vaccine had been licensed by the Food and Drug

Administration since 1970, and that the F.D.A. had provided guidance to the

Pentagon " that easily allows for the conclusion that this, in their

judgment, is effective against inhaled anthrax. "

Dr. Winkenwerder rejected suggestions that the Pentagon was experimenting

on the troops, saying, " We do not use service members as guinea pigs. "

Army officials said the rate of complaints from the vaccine was similar to

that over flu shots. Officials said most of those complaints were

headaches, muscle aches and swelling at the site of the injection.

One senior Pentagon official said on Tuesday that the anthrax vaccine would

continue to be administered, but only to those who did not object.

" It won't be mandatory, " the official said. " If they object, they won't get

it. We don't strap people down to the gurney and make them take the vaccine. "

On Capitol Hill, a critic of the program called on the Pentagon to reopen

the cases of all military personnel punished for declining the vaccine.

That legislator, Representative Shays, Republican of

Connecticut, issued a statement demanding that the Defense Department

" immediately begin a review of all disciplinary actions taken against those

who refused the vaccine. "

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

Also, DoD spokesperson and Congressman Shays on PBS' Newshour, 23 DEC 03:

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/military/july-dec03/anthrax_12-23.html

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

BODY { FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial } TABLE { FONT-SIZE: 10pt;

FONT-FAMILY: Arial } .aolmailheader { FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: black;

FONT-FAMILY: Arial } A.aolmailheader:link { FONT-WEIGHT: normal; COLOR:

blue; TEXT-DECORATION: underline } A.aolmailheader:visited { FONT-WEIGHT:

normal; COLOR: magenta; TEXT-DECORATION: underline } A.aolmailheader:active

{ FONT-WEIGHT: normal; COLOR: blue; TEXT-DECORATION: underline }

A.aolmailheader:hover { FONT-WEIGHT: normal; COLOR: blue; TEXT-DECORATION:

underline }

Assistant Secretary of Defense Health Affairs Winkenwerder -- 23

DEC 03

http://www.defenselink.mil/transcripts/2003/tr20031223-1062.html

Exerpt:

Q: So you're saying that Judge Sullivan was factually wrong when he said

that the vaccine is still in investigational drug.

Dr. Winkenwerder: Absolutely.

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

BODY,TABLE{font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial}

..aolmailheader{font-size:10pt;color:black;font-family:Arial;}a.aolmailheader

:link {color:blue;TEXT-DECORATION: underline;font-weight:normal}

a.aolmailheader:visited {color:magenta; TEXT-DECORATION:

underline;font-weight:normal} a.aolmailheader:active {color: blue;

TEXT-DECORATION: underline;font-weight:normal} a.aolmailheader:hover

{color: blue; TEXT-DECORATION: underline;font-weight:normal}

DoD announcement as of 24 DEC 03:

On December 22, 2003, the United States District Court for the District of

Columbia issued a preliminary injunction against the current operation of

the Anthrax Vaccine Immunization Program. In response, the Department, in

concert with other agencies, is evaluating possible litigation and program

actions. Pending further notice, the Deputy Secretary has decided that DoD

will stop giving anthrax vaccinations until the legal situation is

clarified.

More information is available at -

http://www.anthrax.mil/whatsnew/stopshots.asp

Military Vaccine Agency

(877)GET-VACC

mailto:vaccines@...

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

And here's another story that ran 12-03-03 - Another good article, most

quotes are the same as what's been forwarded previously however.

http://msnbc.msn.com/Default.aspx?id=3783713 & p1=0

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

http://www.superior-wi.com/placed/index.php?sect_rank=4 & story_id=160533

Anthrax shots should not be forced on members of military

The Daily Telegram

Superior, Wisconsin USA

Last Updated: Wednesday, December 24th, 2003 09:33:19 AM

It’s true that when you join the military you have to follow government

requirements and live by the rules of the service you’ve chosen. But such

rules should not include being forced to get an anthrax vaccination. On

Monday, a federal judge wisely ruled that the Pentagon cannot require

military personnel to get the vaccinations unless they agree to it.

So long as servicemen and women know the risks they may face in getting the

shots — or in not being vaccinated — the choice should be theirs to make.

The issue may not end here; it’s a decision bound to upset military

officials. But it may spur a valuable debate.

U.S. District Judge Emmet G. Sullivan was convinced by plaintiffs in a

class action suit that the vaccine is experimental and is being “used for

an unapproved purpose,” meaning exposure to airborne anthrax as well as

through the skin. Soldiers put their lives on the line every day to protect

our freedoms, he said in his ruling. “Absent an informed consent or

presidential waiver, the United States cannot demand that members of the

armed forces also serve as guinea pigs for experimental drugs.”

The government argues the licensed vaccine is safe and can be used for

protection against anthrax that’s inhaled or absored through the skin. Air

Force Gen. Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, criticized

the ruling, saying the shots “protect our troops.” More than 900,000 men

and women in the military have received anthrax shots and are only part of

a large vaccination program by the military aimed at protecting troops from

disease and bioterrorism threats. “It is not experimental. It has been

approved by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration),” Myers said.

Still, the government, which approved the vaccine three decades ago, does

not favor vaccinating the public against anthrax. And plaintiffs in the

suit, who are active duty, National Guard and civilian defense employees,

say the license is only for exposure through the skin and contend the

vaccine may not be safe. The judge cited a law that prohibits use of a new

drugs or those unappoved for an intended use unless those given the drug

agree to its use, or the president waives the consent requirement. The law

stems from concern that use of these kinds of drugs may be tied to mystery

illnesses described as Gulf War Syndrome.

A key part of the issue is the punishment of those who refused shots. About

500 active-duty service members refused the vaccine, and some 200 have been

court-martialed. Moreover, more than 500 pilots and flight crew members

have resigned or transferred from the Air National Guard or Reserves rather

than get the shot, and losing those skilled people is a shame. In light of

the ruling, the Pentagon ought to go back and cancel the absurd punishments

it meted out and then change its policy of forcing people to get the shots.

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

Sheri Nakken, R.N., MA, Classical Homeopath

Vaccination Information & Choice Network, Nevada City CA & Wales UK

$$ Donations to help in the work - accepted by Paypal account

vaccineinfo@... voicemail US 530-740-0561

(go to http://www.paypal.com) or by mail

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

Homeopathy On-Line course - http://www.nccn.net/~wwithin/homeo.htm

ANY INFO OBTAINED HERE NOT TO BE CONSTRUED AS MEDICAL

OR LEGAL ADVICE. THE

DECISION TO VACCINATE IS YOURS AND YOURS ALONE.

******

" Just look at us. Everything is backwards; everything is upside down.

Doctors destroy health, lawyers destroy justice, universities destroy

knowledge, governments destroy freedom, the major media destroy information

and religions destroy spirituality " .... Ellner