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Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton

 

Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton

"The West Coast's Premiere Expeditionary Training Base"
Anthrax vaccine back in business

By Sgt. Melinda M. Weathers | | September 26, 2002

MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. -- The Department of Defense has ordered a threat-based resumption of the anthrax vaccine for service members, including Marines and sailors here.

The Marine Corps announced in an administrative message Sept. 20 that the Anthrax Vaccine Immunization Program will resume for service members who fall into certain priority groups or are in one of 13 countries comprising higher threat areas.

"Given the deadly events of last fall and what we know of the threat of anthrax as a bioweapon, we are taking action to provide protection to those service members who are at greatest risk," said Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz in June 2002.

"We're working towards resumption of the anthrax vaccination program," said Lt. Cmdr. Julie S. Howe, preventative medicine officer, I Marine Expeditionary Force. "We have plans to begin the education and vaccination process within a few weeks," she added.

"We are in the initial planning stages of implementing the vaccination program," explained Marine Maj. Jeffrey Nyhart, public affairs officer, I MEF. "There's a lot of details to work out," Nyhart added.

The National Academy of Sciences' Institute of Medicine has concluded that the vaccine is an effective and safe method to protect against anthrax. "The IOM finished a two-year external review of the vaccine in March of this year and published a book on its safety," said Howe.

"We need to educate the Marines, their families, commanders and the medical personnel who will administer the inoculations," Nyhart said.

For more information on the anthrax vaccination program and the MARADMIN, visit http://www.anthrax.osd.mil or http://www.usmc.mil/maradmins.