Yesterday the Pentagon announced plans to up its anthrax and smallpox vaccination efforts for American forces and essential civilian contractors in the Middle East. Officials at the Pentagon explained that the decision was motivated by an increase in vaccination supplies, not an increased threat level though their concerns about a biological or chemical attack persist.
According to Brig. Gen. David Rodriguez, the deputy director for operations on the military's joint staff, anthrax is "not that relatively difficult" to employ as a weapon. Rodriguez also cited CIA assessments that Al Qaeda has pursued biological weapons.1 This is consistent with what ACSH has been saying for some time.
However, this for government, not civilians approach dismisses two critical facts:
1) American civilians were targeted in the 2001 anthrax attacks.
2) Al Qaeda does not discriminate between soldiers and civilians.
Given these facts, it is hard to understand why more is not being done to increase the commercial availability of anthrax vaccine for Americans who want access to them.
With an increased supply of anthrax vaccine available now being sold to other governments more must be done to make this FDA-approved vaccine available on the open market to American civilians who want to protect themselves.
Tiffany Dovey is a research intern at the American Council on Science and Health. Also see ACSH president Dr. Elizabeth Whelan's most recent anthrax commentary and ACSH's book on anthrax.
1Shanker T. Biological Warfare: Pentagon to Expand Its Anthrax Vaccinations. New York Times. July 1, 2004.