Overview: DoD Biological Warfare
Defense Immunization Program

• The intelligence community has determined that anthrax is the primary biological warfare threat faced by U.S. forces.

• More than 10 countries have, or are suspected of, developing a biological warfare capability.
• It is, by far, the easiest biological agent to produce and weaponize.
• Lately, Iraq has admitted to producing and weaponizing anthrax.

• Anthrax is a silent killer that is extremely lethal, in both inhalational and intestinal anthrax. The fatality rate is almost 100 percent. This point cannot be overstated: "Almost all cases of inhalational anthrax, in which treatment was begun after patients have exhibited symptoms, have resulted in death, regardless of post exposure treatment."

• It is both prudent and necessary to protect U.S. troops against a known and dangerous threat. We are morally obligated to provide the best protection we are capable of providing to our troops -- in the case of protection against anthrax, there is a vaccine to provide individual immunity to this biological warfare agent.

• The vaccine is FDA-approved and is relatively cheap to produce, but more importantly, it has proven effective in protecting persons exposed to anthrax in occupational settings. The vaccine has been routinely given in the U.S. since 1970 to protect against workplace exposure to anthrax spores.

• The vaccine has an excellent safety record. There is no evidence from records at the MBPI that anthrax vaccine adsorbed (injected) is associated with chronic or permanent local or systemic effects.

• DoD immunization policy is promulgated through a DoD directive which defines the decision process to place an immunization program in effect. The DoD senior leadership is currently discussing enlarging the population being considered for vaccination based on the following factors:

• The FDA-approved shot protocol for the anthrax vaccine is six vaccinations over an 18 month period to produce full immunity. This makes it difficult, if not impossible, to wait until a crisis develops before starting vaccinations.

• Once vaccinations are started and based on personnel changing units, arriving or leaving the services, retiring, or rotating into and out of crisis areas in time of conflict, etc.; it may be necessary to vaccinate the entire force. This is particularly important for early deploying Reserve Component units.

• Vaccinating the entire force (Active Component/Reserve Component) would ensure personnel arriving in the theater, during a conflict as unscheduled and previously unidentified personnel replacements, are afforded the necessary protection.
• In addition, it would also address the difficulty anticipated in trying to predict in advance when units might be required to deploy to a war zone.