Anthrax row is not immune to wild claims of anti-vaccine lobby

The decision of sailors on Australian warships in the Persian Gulf to refuse anthrax vaccination raises some interesting questions about the safety of the anthrax vaccine and our often-contradictory response to health risks.

The action of Able Seaman Simon Bond of HMAS Kanimbla and the surrounding publicity is unprecedented in Australia. But for some years, lobby groups of servicemen and women in the United States have opposed the vaccine believing that it causes the host of symptoms known as "Gulf War Syndrome" which includes chronic fatigue, headaches, muscle pain, skin rashes, hair loss, memory loss and other symptoms.

While this is a real syndrome, the best evidence indicates there is no link to anthrax vaccination. In fact, there is substantial evidence affirming the safety and efficacy of anthrax vaccination for people at high risk, such as military personnel.

Last year, the US Institute of Medicine released a report concluding that, "people receiving the vaccine do not face an increased risk of life-threatening or permanently disabling effects".

But this has not deterred lobby groups in the US which continue to assert their claims and lobby on behalf of military personnel. Joining their opposition is a small but vocal anti-vaccination lobby which claims vaccines cause anything from asthma to cancer.