Anthrax Vaccine Immunization Program
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The Anthrax Vaccine Immunization Program (AVIP), is the name of the policy set forth by the United States government to immunize its military and specific civilian personnel with the anthrax vaccine. It began in earnest in 1997 by the Clinton administration. Thereafter it ran into a few FDA and judicial obstacles (mainly concerning the methods and viability of the vaccine manufactured by BioPort).
[edit] History
- Vaccination Timeline at Stars and Stripes.
- The Military Vaccine Resource Directory maintained by Kathryn D. Hubbell, former Air Force.
- Q&A from the Navy regarding anthrax vaccination from 2002.
In 1998, the Clinton administration required the inoculation of all military members[1][2],. In June 2001, the DOD halted vaccination due to non-FDA approved changes in BioPort's manufacturing process[3].
On June 28, 2002, in the wake of the 2001 anthrax attacks and leading up to the 2003 invasion of Iraq, all military personnel were required to get anthrax vaccination[4] (in addition to their other vaccinations of smallpox and other diseases and viruses like Japanese encephalitis, Pneumococcal, Tetanus, among others[5]).
While some military personnel had questions about the safety of the vaccine, it was considered a lawful order, and this made refusing the vaccine reasons for bringing charges against the person, including possible discharge (i.e., losing their job and any benefits depending on the type of discharge). This pressure, at least for the National Guard and Reserve pilots and crewmembers, became a deciding factor for retention[6].Later that month, the DOD made it policy to include any personnel spending 15 days or more in high anthrax-risk areas, such as the Persian Gulf or the Korean peninsula[7][8]. </blockquote> In Dec. of 2003, Judge Emmet G. Sullivan of the United States District Court in Washington ruled that the pentagon could not force military personnel to take the vaccine unless through a special order by the president[9]. In 2004, for about 8 days in October (20-28), anthrax vaccinations were resumed[10], but then an injunction against mandatory vaccination was filed on the basis that it was not proven to work against inhalation anthrax. The ruling held that the military would either let the individual member choose under an informed consent policy, or when the president bypassed the ruling and made it an executive order[11]. For military members who had started the vaccination (which usually takes build-up and booster shots), they tended to continue the vaccination program under informed consent. For those who had a choice, they usually decided against it.[12]. The government stated that they will resume under informed consent in April 2005. On Oct. 16, 2006 the military resumed vaccinations [13] again.
[edit] External Links
