Blocking the Anthrax Shot
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Timothy W. Maier, of Insight magazine reports that Republicans in Congress are demanding that the FDA prove the safety of the controversial mandatory anthrax vaccine for military personnel ordered by the president.
Concerned about the growing number of U.S. troops experiencing adverse side effects after submitting to an anthrax-vaccine injection, four Republican congressmen have called on the Food and Drug Administration, or FDA, to list the controversial shot as an investigative new drug. This likely would stop President Clinton's mandatory program to inoculate 2.4 million troops with the anthrax vaccine.
A November letter from the congressmen appeared during the latest round of congressional hearings concerning this controversy. To date, more than 300,000 troops have received at least one of the six shots with about 10 percent of those having experienced adverse side effects ranging from chills to lupus. The Pentagon insists no scientific proof exists that the anthrax shot caused the more serious ailments, but critics note that it can't be ruled out scientifically either. There are reports that as many as 1,000 troops have refused the shot. Many military personal are facing courts-martial and others simply have resigned.
Lawmakers were especially upset about the FDA's failure to insist upon careful manufacture of the vaccine. "Of particular concern is that despite the licensure of the anthrax vaccine in 1970, 23 years passed before your agency physically inspected the anthrax-specific portion of the manufacturing facility," congressmen wrote.
Many spouses of service personnel have complained that the military failed to tell them how the shot might affect those who are pregnant, leading to a series of miscarriages. Earl Stover, an Air Force reservist, spoke through his daughter Laurie because of his severe symptoms. "Every day my dad has health problems," she says. "His ears are ringing. He has chronic fatigue and he can't remember things. I have to tell him six or seven times before he remembers. It's not easy seeing this. He used to be such a strong man. Now he has trouble walking and loses his balance."
Source: Insight, click here for entire article
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