Bioterrorism and compulsory vaccination: United States continues vaccinating to keep troops healthy

doi:10.1136/bmj.329.7472.977-a

BMJ 2004;329:977 (23 October), doi:10.1136/bmj.329.7472.977-a

Letter

Bioterrorism and compulsory vaccination

United States continues vaccinating to keep troops healthy

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

EDITOR—Jefferson questions military use of anthrax andsmallpox vaccines licensed as safe and effective by the US Foodand Drug Administration (FDA).¹ The Department of Defense isconcerned about the safety of US service members, so we vaccinatethem to keep them healthy. Vaccination provides the only roundthe clock protection against the malicious use of microbes asweapons.

Our vaccination programmes are based on a credible militarythreat, recognised by multiple government agencies and administrations.Given that a few cubic metres could hide a grievous quantityof anthrax spores or variola virus, the unsuccessful hunt forweapons of mass destruction in Iraq has done little to reassureus. That anthrax and smallpox infections are not circulatingnaturally is irrelevant when these microbes can be targetedwilfully at our troops. Anthrax spores are all too easy to deliver,as our nation learnt in fall 2001.

The values of . . . [Full text of this article]

John D Grabenstein, deputy director

Military Vaccine Agency, 5113 Leesburg Pike, Suite 402, Falls Church, VA 22041 USA john.grabenstein@us.army.mil

William Winkenwerder, Jr, assistant secretary of defense (health affairs)

Washington, DC, USA