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THE VACCINE should work against
all strains of the bacteria, even if they have been altered to be used as
weapons, the panel concluded. It should also work to protect people who have
been exposed to anthrax but who have not yet become sick, an issue that
became more urgent with the anthrax-laced letters sent last fall that killed
five people and made 13 others ill.
BETTER VACCINE, MORE STUDY
URGED
But a better vaccine is needed — one that is easier and less painful
to give and that will become effective in less than the current six-dose
schedule, according to the report.
And more study is needed over longer periods of time to make sure the
vaccine is safe in the long term, it said. |
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“The most prudent course of
action is to develop a new vaccine — given the nation’s war against
terrorism and the domestic attacks where anthrax was used as a deadly
weapon,” said Brian L. Strom, chairman of the committee that reviewed the
vaccine.
The current vaccine was approved by FDA in 1970. The manufacturer,
BioPort Corp., of Lansing, Mich., took over the product in 1998, but not
until February did it win FDA approval for full production.
The delays hampered availability of the vaccine, limiting efforts by
the military to vaccinate all service personnel.
Only a small number of special mission forces have been getting the
vaccine. Some 400 soldiers, fearing complications from a vaccine they
considered experimental, had refused it.
Concern about the limited supplies of the vaccine was heightened by
last fall’s anthrax-by-mail terrorism coupled with the fear that the disease
could be used as a weapon by foreign terrorists. |
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The new report from the National Academy of Science’s Institute of
Medicine found that the current vaccine, while old and clumsy, works against
the toxin that makes anthrax lethal. That means it would work against any
genetically engineered or otherwise altered anthrax bacteria. The panel
found no unexpected adverse effects from taking the vaccine. The rate of
reactions was similar to that of other vaccines, such as tetanus, given
adults. These included skin redness and occasional malaise and muscle
pain but no serious health impairments, the report said. There were also
reports of itching or swelling at the injection site.
The report said this may be because the vaccine is injected under the
skin rather than into muscle, which is done for most vaccines.
There is only limited information about possible long-term effects,
the report noted, but there are no indications of increased risks.
But the vaccine is manufactured using older technology and requires
six shots plus an annual booster, something the committee felt should be
improved.
The current vaccine has been used to protect veterinarians and others
who work with animals.
FIVE HAVE DIED
Normally anthrax is a disease of animals, and humans have contracted
it from handling or working with the animals. Anthrax spores can live for
years.
Five people died from the inhaled form of the disease, including two
postal workers, after letters containing anthrax were sent to people in
Florida, New York and Washington, D.C., last fall. |
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There are also
skin and intestinal forms of the disease if the bacillus is contacted by the
skin or eaten.
Federal health officials believe more than 30,000 people may have
been exposed to anthrax last fall in the series of letters sent to a
newspaper office in Florida, Senate buildings and network television offices
in New York. More than 10,000 people took antibiotics because of the
letters. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said 192 people
opted to take the vaccine, which was offered as a precaution to anyone who
did not want to continue taking antibiotics for months on end to prevent
anthrax spores they may have inhaled from taking hold in their bodies.
BioPort will produce 2 million vaccine doses this year, and between 3
million and 8 million next year, according to Health and Human Services
Secretary Tommy Thompson.
The government does not recommend the vaccine for civilians, but
officials want to have it on hand in case of need.
The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
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