I just got the Anthrax

vaccine! Got it yesterday morning, as part of the soldier readiness program for outbound troops. I am not headed into a combat zone, but still it feels kind of good knowing I am now protected from the anthrax.



Tell me about it, what level of protection have I gained, and after the last of the four or five booster shots (every 18 months) will I be protected for life?

Do they have a vaccine for John Rich yet?

It is a very reactogenic (reaction producing) but fairly poorly immunogenic (immune producing) vaccine-- but the best we have now for those at risk. Thus, the need for so many booster doses. Hopefully you won't be one to have any reactions. Yes, it will provide protection, but obviously, vaccine-induced immunity could be overwhelmed by a large enough "dose." So, if you are ever told to don the protective gear--DO SO without delay. Good luck.

yes, donning and properly clearing your MOPP (Mission Oriented Protective Posture) gear was a very important part of Basic, and one I would hate to forget. About as bad as forgetting how to respond to incoming fire. I am in a Public Affairs Detachment though, and our mission is a giant field training excercise in Japan with the Japanese Defense Force. I think my first mission over there is going to be covering weapons training, I think it will be live-fire, and hopefully that means I will get a chance to shoot some Japanese rifles, see how they fit me!


The needle used for the vaccination went in very easily, it was almost totally unnoticed. The Hep A booster was a little more noticable, but not bad. The man doing the injections was very good, unlike some previous shots I have gotten. During reception, before basic training actually starts, there is a day when the entire group of initial entry soldiers goes to a clinic, and go in a line through a vaccination checkpoint. You get the first one in one arm, look over, think to yourself "this isn't so bad" and then two more get you in the other arm while you aren't paying attention, and the first guy hits you again as soon as you are distracted. A very sore night that was.

In the past the shots were given but not listed on the booster sheet. It is important in case there are any side affects that arise. These vaccines are NOT well researched.

To be honest...nobody really knows effectiveness. From the FDA...

>>>Today, it would be difficult to repeat the efficacy studies. This is because there are no evident populations in the United States where prophylactic vaccine protection against natural exposure to anthrax could be evaluated in a clinical field trial, such as was done in the Brachman et al. study. Specifically, the incidence of naturally occurring anthrax in humans is low and sporadic in occurrence, making identification of a trial target population difficult. Likewise, it would be unethical to perform challenge/protection studies in humans. In addition, human immunogenicity and safety data would be required. The safety database obtained by CDC under the IND would be considered a reasonable pre-licensure database for evaluating a safety study today.<<<

http://www.fda.gov/ola/2000/anthraxvaccine.html

>>>FDA has not had an official role in the development or operation of the Department of Defense's Anthrax Vaccine Immunization Program (AVIP), including the AVIP tracking system or the program's adverse event reporting system. In March 1997, DOD briefed FDA about their draft plan for the possible use of the anthrax vaccine to inoculate United States military personnel according to FDA approved labeling for six doses administered on a specified schedule over eighteen months. Subsequently, FDA learned that the DOD plan had been adopted.<<<

I have a brother who received a series of vaccines upon entering the military. Shortly after he began having seizures. They also found that he now has a small mass on his pineal gland and a thyroid problem. They discharged him with medical for the thyroid only, claiming that the other issues are preexisting.

and has a lot of side effects but I only know about 5 people who've had it so that's a pretty low sample size. I'm in the SIP for some vaccines for work (I'm not in the military), do you guys get the 15-ish page consent forms with each one? They always list the severe adverse events in decent detail (I've had VEE, EEE, and Tularemia with no problems). I was curious if they give you the same information they give civilians.

I attended a convention last year where there were quite a few presentations on research into new Anthrax vaccines though it was just animal data. Mainly because of low immunogenicity and high number of side effects as mentioned above. I hope don't have too many problems!

no fifteen page forms for me! They do give you a little disclaimer, but for the most part it is just telling you to do some pushups and get your muscles working, get some blood flow through the area of the injection so it won't just sit there like a lump and destroy you with soreness.

My arm is still feeling it, actually maybe more than yesterday, but not bad at all. No side effects yet, I am usually pretty well off medically, so we'll just hope that stays the same. They really didn't seem like they knew of any reasons to be concerned over the vaccine at all. I thought it was interesting, since I remembered hearing all the hoopla a few years back when Bush got his Anthrax vaccine and everyone was talking about its' occasional death rate.

Just disclaimers but no consent forms for the enlisted? Maybe anthrax is different than the ones I've had, but that's just odd. I got calls or emails each week to report side effects and for Tuli each week for a month I got the vax site measured.

He got anthrax shots and boosters while he was in Basic, they gave them three different kinds of the Anthrax vaccine, and apparently this was around the time problems were starting to crop up with two of them, because the medical people said more or less that they hadn't been told to stop giving the shots yet, so here you go!

I only got one, maybe cutting out the other two vaccines really cut back on the number of side effects? My arm is just as sore now as yesterday, maybe worse.