Medical Readiness: DoD Faces Challenges in Implementing Its Anthrax Vaccine Immunization Program
Abstract
The Department of Defense (DOD) regards the biological agent anthrax, an infectious disease that is 99-percent lethal if inhaled by unprotected humans, as the single greatest biological weapon threat to U.S. military forces. To counter this threat, the Secretary of Defense announced in December 1997 a plan to immunize all active and reserve military personnel with a licensed anthrax vaccine. The Secretary stipulated that immunizations would not begin until DOD (1) established a means of testing the vaccine over and above tests required by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), (2) developed a system for tracking vaccinations, (3) approved operational and communication plans for the vaccination program, and (4) had an outside expert review the health and medical aspects of the program. In May 1998, the Secretary announced that his conditions had been met, and in August 1998, DOD began immunizations, giving first priority to personnel deployable to southwest and northeast Asia, areas where U.S. forces are considered at high risk of exposure to anthrax.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Oct 01, 1999
- Accession Number
- ADA369476
Entities
Organizations
- United States Government Accountability Office