U.S. to Vaccinate Troops for Anthrax Germ-War Agent

The Pentagon announced Monday that it will inoculate an estimated 2.4 million of its uniformed personnel and reservists against deadly anthrax--the first time the U.S. military has conducted such a vaccination program to protect against a germ-warfare agent.

Defense Secretary William S. Cohen said he made the decision to launch the $130-million program after a three-year study showed that vaccination was the surest way to guard against an almost universally fatal agent that is regarded as an ideal biological wartime killer.

“This is a force-protection issue,” he said. “To be effective, medical force protection must be comprehensive, well documented and consistent. I have instructed the military to put such a program in place.”

Anthrax is caused by a lethal bacterium believed to be among those found in the standard biological arsenals of at least 10 nations, the Pentagon said. It did not name the countries, but they are believed to include Iraq, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Russia and China.

The vaccine will first be given next summer to 100,000 troops in the high-threat areas of the Persian Gulf and Southwest Asia.

Within the next several years it will be given to all troops--numbering about 1.5 million--as well as those reservists who routinely train and are likely to be called to active duty in an emergency, Pentagon officials said.

The Pentagon has increased its scrutiny of the danger of biological weapons since the 1991 Persian Gulf War, the conflict that brought U.S. soldiers under the very real threat of unconventional weapons for the first time since World War I.

Terrorist bombings aimed at U.S. troops in Saudi Arabia and fears that enemies such as Iraq and North Korea might use biological weapons prompted the Pentagon initiative, officials said. Moreover, the decision comes amid the continuing dispute with Iraq’s Saddam Hussein over the United Nations’ attempts to gain access to his weapons arsenal.

Such factors “make it prudent to include biological-warfare defense as part of our force-protection planning,” the Pentagon said in a statement.

Anthrax is a spore-producing organism that can be stored in dry form indefinitely and then released into the atmosphere through detonation or spray. Once breathed into the lungs, the spores germinate, producing a massive infection; this is followed by bleeding in the lungs, shock and then death, often within days.

The disease--which usually afflicts only animals, primarily cattle and sheep--also can be acquired through the skin and the gastrointestinal tract, but it is considered less serious in these circumstances, according to experts.

“Our goal is to vaccinate everybody in the force so they will be ready to deploy anywhere, any time,” said Deputy Secretary of Defense John Hamre, who will supervise the program.

Great Britain and Russia already give mandatory anti-Anthrax inoculations to their troops, and the vaccine is widely used by veterinarians, laboratory workers and civilians who work with livestock.

For U.S. troops, inoculations against a variety of diseases--such as measles and polio--are normal.

More than 150,000 U.S. forces who served in the Gulf War were inoculated against anthrax. The recommendation to initiate the inoculation as a routine procedure has been under debate for several years.

Initially, the Joint Chiefs of Staff and other military officials opposed the idea, arguing that it would be smarter to wait for the development of a multipurpose vaccine that could be used to counter a variety of biological agents, including anthrax.

But high-ranking Pentagon officials reversed themselves in the fall of 1996. The officials denied the timing was related to the severe criticism the Pentagon received for a poor response to the possible exposure of U.S. troops to toxic agents during the Gulf War.

Although the inoculation plan had been studied at the Pentagon, Cohen directed that it be independently assessed by Dr. Gerald N. Burrow of Yale University before approving it.

The vaccine consists of a series of six subcutaneous (under the skin) inoculations administered over 18 months, followed by an annual booster. Protection levels increase as shots in the series are given, but the entire series is required for full protection. It is considered highly effective--but it is useless if administered after exposure to the organism.

The vaccine’s side effects have been shown to be minimal--it has caused malaise and fatigue in fewer than 0.2% of those receiving it, and chills and fever in a few cases, according to the labeling information on the product.

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An Ancient Enemy

The Pentagon’s decision to vaccinate 2.4 million personnel for anthrax recognizes a serious threat from biological warfare. But the disease has been around since ancient times; one of the 10 biblical plagues was probably the skin boils and infection caused by the rod-like bacillus anthracis bacterium, right. It is considered one of the most lethal of biological agents in germ warfare.

Spread: The bacteria shed spores that can last in soil or water for years. Historically, it has spread from farm animals to humans. As a biological agent, it can be powdered and stored. It has been researched for germ warfare since before World War II because of its quick onset and disabling effects.

Skin exposure: Spores come in contact with a break in the skin. A boil-like lesion with a black center forms. Nearby lymph nodes may swell. In serious cases, severe blood infections can develop.

Treatment: Antibiotics

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Inhalation: Highly dangerous form results from breathing spores. Symptoms are flu-like; viral pneumonia and sometimes meningitis develop quickly.

Treatment: Antibiotics, but disease in this form is 90% fatal even with treatment.

Sources: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Virginia Department of Health; Travel Health Online; Iowa State University.

Researched by SCOTT J. WILSON and VICKY McCARGAR / Los Angeles Times