Guest guest Posted December 21, 2001 Report Share Posted December 21, 2001 - " joseph " <makas Friday, December 21, 2001 12:49 PM " Lingering Worries Over Vaccine " > > > > " Lingering Worries Over Vaccine " > Washington Post (www.washingtonpost.com) (12/20/01) P. A19; > Vedantam, Shankar > > Though the Department of Defense (DOD) insists that the anthrax > vaccine is safe, except for a few minor side effects, some > servicemen who have been given the immunization shots in the past > have complained of severe negative reactions. Since March 1998, > the DOD has administered 2.1 million doses of the vaccine to > 524,00 individuals, mostly soldiers. The department reports > severe reactions in only one out of 100,000 people, though up to > 16 percent of those injected reported rashes, up to 25 percent > had headaches, and about 15 percent complained of muscle aches. > In testimony given before Congress, however, it was revealed that > some military personnel suffered from blood clots, chronic > fatigue syndrome, and an allergic reaction known as Steven > Johnson's syndrome, when prior to the vaccination, they had been > healthy. Though federal health officials said they would begin > to offer the vaccine to any one considered at high risk to > anthrax exposure, such as postal workers, they did not say they > recommended the option. Further complicating the matter is the > fact that the company that makes the immunization, Mich.-based > BioPort, has been cited by the Food and Drug Administration for > inferior manufacturing processes. > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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