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Posted December 30

►December 29, 2003 - Troop anthrax shots in question - North County Times - "At least two local Marines remain in legal limbo as federal officials and a Washington district court judge wrangle over whether the military can force members of the armed services to take anthrax vaccinations...The two Marines refused to take mandatory inoculations a year ago and have since faced stiff punishment for refusing direct orders. One claims to have suffered intimidation and even a death threat from his superiors for refusing the vaccine." - 12/30/03

►December 30, 2003 - Pocatello woman helps stop mandatory anthrax vaccinations - Idaho State Journal - "A Pocatello woman helped influence the decision when she refused to take the anthrax vaccine last March. Sarah Holder, a former soldier at Fort Lewis, Wash., and Pocatello native, took a general discharge under honorable conditions Nov. 29 ending her five-year military career in communications...Holder, who now lives in Portland, Ore., told the Seattle P-I Tuesday she might try to have her discharge upgraded to honorable." - 12/30/03

►December 30, 2003 - FDA Says Anthrax Vaccine Safe for Troops - Reuters - "The anthrax vaccine is safe for use in protecting U.S. troops against inhaled exposure to the potentially deadly bacteria, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on Tuesday...'The FDA-approved labeling for the anthrax vaccine does not specify the route of exposure, and the vaccine is indicated for active immunization against Bacillus anthracis, independent of the route of exposure,' it said in a statement...It also said an expert panel put together by the independent Institute of Medicine had found the vaccine to be safe."

Comment: It is hard to believe that the plaintiffs could have argued, and the judge would have accepted, that the vaccine was only approved for cutaneous use, if the labeling, in fact, did "not specify the route of exposure". Stay tuned. - 12/30/03

►December 30, 2003 - Court To Rule On Marines' Anthrax Vaccinations - One Marine Court-Martialed, Another Awaits Trial - www.nbcsandiego.com - 12/30/03

►January 5, 2004 - No longer a threat (Editorial) - AirForceTimes.com - "The Defense Department’s mandatory anthrax vaccination program has been snakebit from its inception...Now, in the face of a U.S. District judge in Washington who ordered the Pentagon to stop forcing service members to take the anthrax shots, the Pentagon has backed down. For now." - 12/30/03

►December 30, 2003 - Anthrax Toxin Inhibitor Identified; Findings Could Lead To More Effective Therapy For Deadly Agent - Harvard Medical School via ScienceDaily - 12/30/03

►December 30, 2003 - Smallpox attack simulation uncovers critical communications problems: report CP via Health Canada Network - "Thank God it was only a simulation...A multi-country bioterrorism exercise held earlier this year highlighted critical weaknesses in intergovernmental communications capabilities and national response capacities, a report on a mock smallpox attack reveals." - 12/30/03

Posted December 29

►December 24, 2003 - When it comes to vaccines, let soldiers call the shots - Commentary, Chicago Sun-Times - "Soldiers must obey orders. Normally that would begin and end our thinking regarding the U.S. military's desire to inoculate its troops against anthrax...But the military, which has performed so skillfully and admirably during warfare, has a terrible record when it comes to guarding the health of its personnel off the battlefield, and has lost the right to dictate, unquestioned, what troops should be required to automatically undergo." - 12/29/03

►December 29, 2003 - A dose of restraint ordered for Pentagon - Opinion, The Virginia-Pilot - "Air Force Gen. Richard Myers said of the vaccine, 'It’s not experimental. It has been approved by the FDA.'...Yes, but only for cutaneous anthrax...And one attorney who worked on the case told The Washington Post that the only thing Pentagon officials received from the FDA to bolster their claim was the personal opinion of a political appointee, not full agency sanction that the shot can be used against both types of anthrax. - 12/29/03

►December 27, 2003 - Airing anthrax - Editorial, The Salt Lake Tribune - "The question of whether anthrax vaccine used during the first Gulf War caused or contributed to the set of ailments referred to as Gulf War Syndrome is unresolved. Up to 20,000 veterans of that conflict continue to suffer memory loss, fatigue, rashes and muscle and joint pains and still are trying to get compensation from the Department of Defense for their medical expenses. So it is easy to see why today's troops balk at taking the vaccine when so many questions remain unanswered." - 12/29/03

►December 29, 2003 - Compounds stop anthrax toxin: studies - www.cbc.ca - "Researchers have discovered a way to stop a deadly anthrax toxin in tests on cells. They say it could lead to new ways of treating the disease...Rather than vaccinating whole populations, a therapeutic combination of antibiotics and protease inhibitor drugs would need to be used only in actual cases, Cantley said." - 12/29/03

►December 28, 2003 - GIs in Iraq have mixed reactions on halt to anthrax shots - Stars & Stripes - "But one thing the military assured them they would have some protection against was the specter of anthrax: Before deploying here, each and every U.S. soldier had to take an anti-anthrax vaccine...But after U.S. District Judge Emmet G. Sullivan issued a ruling Dec. 22 that ordered the military to stop requiring soldiers take the vaccine, the word in the desert is mixed." - 12/28/03

►December 27, 2003 - Anthrax protester wants the Marines to apologize - www.signonsandiego.com - "Anthony Fusco would like the Marine Corps to say it's sorry and then some...The Camp Pendleton Marine was demoted from corporal to lance corporal this year for initially refusing to be vaccinated for anthrax...Now a federal judge has ruled that the Pentagon's mandatory vaccination program is illegal, and the program was temporarily halted this week...Fusco, 23, feels he's been vindicated, and he's upset about the reduction in rank and loss of pay." - 12/28/03

►December 28, 2003 - Anthrax drill shows weaknesses, officials say - CNN - "A drill testing U.S. agencies' ability to distribute and administer antibiotics in the event of an anthrax attack found the federal government unable to respond quickly enough to prevent large numbers of deaths, officials said Sunday." - 12/28/03

►December 26, 2003 - New war on germs - A new Biodefense Laboratory will help to protect a 17-county area from possible terrorist attacks, epidemics and other catastrophes - The Buffalo News - 12/28/03

►December 26, 2003 - Bio-terror team seeks volunteers - Sun-Herald - 12/28/03

Posted December 28

►December 27, 2003 - Marine Upset With Demotion After Refusing Anthrax Vaccine - Demoted Marine Wants Settlement For Service Member Who Refused Vaccine - www.nbcsandiego.com - 12/27/03

►December 23, 2003 - Suit over vaccine must take federal route - www.thestate.com - "A woman who claims her daughter became retarded because of a common childhood vaccine must first take her case to federal court, the S.C. Court of Appeals ruled Monday...A three-member panel of the court unanimously said federal law requires that Donna Quigley file her claim on behalf of her daughter, Kealy, with the U.S. Court of Federal Claims before she can sue in state court." - 12/27/03

►December 27, 2003 - U.S. Seeks Military Anthrax Clarification - Justice Department Asks Judge to Clarify Ban on Military Anthrax Shots - AP via ABC News - 12/27/03

►The Institute of Medicine Weighs in on Anthrax Vaccine; DOD Scores A Knockout - (But read the report, and the Institute doesn't have a leg to stand on) - by Meryl Nass, MD - www.anthrax.org - "The report's conclusions rely on ignoring many pieces of crucial information, and its recommendations give the Department of Defense everything it could have wanted. The report appears to be “spun” to support a number of DOD initiatives, and it provides the needed justification for restarting mandatory anthrax vaccinations over the objections of many in Congress...Strong words. Can I back them up?...If the government may be culpable for making its own soldiers sick, don't hold your breath waiting for the government-sponsored science that will prove it." - 12/27/03

►December 26, 2003 - Local Soldier Given Anthrax Vaccine - www.kpvi.com - "Wednesday, a U.S. district judge ordered the military to stop adminstering the anthrax vaccine to service members without their consent until a trial can be held on the matter. Plaintiffs in the case argue that the anthrax vaccine is being used as an experimental drug...But for one local Air Force member, the ruling may have come too late. Bryan Latham explains...'Last Christmas Eve, they had to have an ambulance come and get me because my wife thought that I was dying because I stopped breathing and my eyes rolled in the back of my head.'...It is just one of the many traumas Vance Wasden lives through. But it wasn't always like this..." - 12/27/03

►December 26, 2003 - Defense Department Seeks Court Approval To Continue Illegal Vaccination Program - Requests Court To Limit Injunction To Six Plaintiffs - Press Release - "'The DoD's Motion seeks to turn the Court's ruling into a farcical exercise. The vaccination cannot be illegal for one person but legal for another, unless informed consent is obtained,' said Mark S. Zaid, Esq., the Managing Partner of the Washington, D.C. law firm of Krieger & Zaid, PLLC, and co-counsel in the litigation. Zaid added that while he understood the legal arguments asserted by the Justice Department to limit the scope of the decision, the effort violates the spirit of the decision, if not the letter of the law. - 12/27/03

►December 27, 2003 - U.S. Asks Judge to Lift His Ban on Pentagon's Anthrax Vaccination Program - "The Justice Department has asked a federal district judge here to withdraw his preliminary injunction halting the military's mandatory anthrax vaccination program, or at least limit his ruling to the six plaintiffs whose suit prompted it." - 12/27/03

►December 26, 2003 - Prioritizing bioterror defenses - The Washington Times Editorial/Op-Ed - "The largest threat to national security is too small to see — the microbes and viruses of bioterrorism. Biological agents are almost an ideal weapon for terrorists because of the relative ease with which they can be made and dispersed." - 12/27/03

►December 26, 2003 - Pentagon: Anthrax shots suspended - Stars and Stripes - "Such was the confusion earlier this week among the Pentagon’s leadership that Dr. William Winkenwerder Jr., assistant secretary of defense for health affairs, stood behind the Pentagon’s lectern Tuesday afternoon and refused to say whether the department planned to obey the judge’s order." - 12/26/03

►December 26, 2003 - In Medical Mystery, A Hint of Smallpox - Washington Post - "Librarian Susanne Caro was leafing through an 1888 book on Civil War medicine when she spied a small, yellowed envelope tucked between the pages. Freeing it, she read the inscription 'scabs from vaccination of W.B. Yarrington's children' in the corner, with the signature 'Dr. W.D. Kelly,' the book's author...Researchers believe the scabs found in March are either from smallpox vaccine patients or from victims, whose scabs were used in an early inoculation procedure. At the very least, inoculation scabs would shed light on the historic development of American vaccines for smallpox, which though eradicated a generation ago has returned to public consciousness as a potentially devastating weapon for bioterrorists." - 12/26/03

►December 26, 2003 - Researchers intrigued by century-old smallpox scabs - AP via www.kobtv.com - "Government health researchers are going to conduct tests on the contents of a yellowed envelope found in a New Mexico library...The envelope is apparently filled with scabs from 19^th-century smallpox vaccinations." - 12/26/03

►December 23, 2003 - Smallpox Concerns Fading Away? - UPI via The Washington Times - "Although the nation's terror threat level recently was raised to high, Americans appear to have become unconcerned about the possibility of attacks involving biological weapons, including individuals who only a year ago were clamoring for health officials to make vaccines and medications available to the general public...Even smallpox -- one of the deadliest diseases known to man and one of the most likely to be used in a bioterror attack -- no longer seems to instill the fear it did shortly after the attacks on the Pentagon and World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001." - 12/26/03

►December 23, 2003 - Heeding Court Order, Pentagon Halts Anthrax Shots - Reuters via http://wireservice.wired.com - 12/26/03

►December 24, 2003 - No Place for an Experiment - LA Times Editorial - "Soldiers have a special obligation to stay fit and ready to defend their nation. Even so, U.S. District Judge Emmet G. Sullivan was right to recognize that military fitness does not extend to a requirement that all soldiers get controversial anthrax vaccinations." - 12/25/03

►December 23, 2003 - Pentagon will obey ruling on anthrax - USA Today - "The Pentagon will abide by a federal judge's ruling and, at least for now, not give anthrax vaccine to troops who do not want it, a high-ranking Defense Department official said Tuesday...The official, who briefed reporters on the condition that he not be identified, said the vaccinations will continue for those troops who agree to them while the Justice Department, which represents the Pentagon, decides whether to appeal the ruling." - 12/24/03

►December 23, 2003 - Myers: Troops Need Anthrax Vaccinations - Air Force Gen. Richard Myers Says Anthrax Vaccinations Important 'To Protect Troops' - AP via ABC News - 12/24/03

►December 24, 2003 - Pentagon Criticizes Ruling Halting Troops' Anthrax Shots - LA Times - "Senior Pentagon officials on Tuesday heatedly defended the military's practice of requiring troops to get anthrax vaccinations, and said a federal judge who ordered a stop to the shots was wrong to accuse the military of treating soldiers like 'guinea pigs.'" - 12/24/03

►September 1, 2003 - The Autism Bombshell; Worrying Rise in Childhood Cases Sparks New MMR Fears - Daily Mail, UK via www.healthy.net - 12/24/03

►December 24, 2003 - Defense Dept. Halts Anthrax Vaccinations - The New York Times - 12/24/03

►December 24, 2003 - Unapproved Foreign Flu Vaccine Peddled in U.S. - The New York Times - 12/24/03

►December 24, 2003 - Soldiers no longer receiving Anthrax vaccinations - www.wfsb.com - "Rep. Christopher Shays, R-Conn., said he will ask the Defense Department to immediately begin a review of all disciplinary actions taken against service members who refused the vaccines, including the more than 200 who were court-martialed...Shays, who conducted a number of hearings on the issue in his Government Reform subcommittee on national security, said he will draft legislation requiring the review if DOD fails to do one...'This decision ends years of coercive practices that has spanned two administrations and shaken the faith of many in the integrity of military medicine and command decision-making,' Shays said." - 12/24/03

►December 23, 2003 - Federal judge: Anthrax vaccine not mandatory - Troops not meant to be 'guinea pigs' - www.delawareonline.com - "Sullivan's ruling could be of some help to a former Dover Air Force Base C-5 pilot who was honorably discharged in 2000 for refusing to be vaccinated. Former Air Force Maj. Sonnie Bates at one point faced a possible court martial for his refusal...A lawsuit challenging the vaccine filed by Bates in the Washington, D.C., court in 2001 was dismissed last year. But Sullivan's ruling could provide new grounds for Bates to seek reinstatement or restoration of the military pension he lost, said Bates' lawyer Mark Zaid, a Washington attorney also involved in the lawsuit that led to Sullivan's ruling Monday...'It's about time,' said Bates, now a civilian pilot. 'This may open the door for the walking wounded from this vaccine to get the health treatments they need and for some of the younger lieutenants, captains and airmen who had to end their careers because of this to rejoin the military.'" - 12/24/03

►December 19, 2003 - Vt. Falls Short on Smallpox Vaccination Goal - www.wcax.com - "Health officials set a goal of vaccinating 2,000 volunteers around the state. But only 130 have since gotten the shots...But Vermont's health commissioner says 130 people are enough to vaccinate others in the event of an attack." - 12/24/03

►December 21, 2003 - State tests mass smallpox vaccination plan - KnoxNews - 12/24/03

►December 24, 2003 - Anthrax Vaccinations Suspended - Program for Military On Hold While Legalities Are Explored - Washington Post - 12/24/03

►December 23, 2003 - Soldier dies during training in Iraq - Pittsfield man, 24, suffers heart attack - "Allison's mother said she was perplexed by the cause of death because she believed her son was in excellent health. He had been sickened recently by shots he was required to take before entering Iraq, and she wondered if they played a role in his death." - 12/24/03

►December 24, 2003 - Pentagon to halt use of anthrax vaccine - The Boston Globe - "The Pentagon announced yesterday it would stop giving anthrax vaccinations to servicemen and women until a federal judge's order to end the program is clarified...'We fully intend to comply with all of our legal obligations in this instance,' Dr. William Winkenwerder, assistant secretary of defense for health affairs, told PBS's 'NewsHour with Jim Lehrer.'...The announcement countered earlier statements from top military officers who criticized Monday's ruling from US District Judge Emmet G. Sullivan that the vaccinations were being used inappropriately." - 12/24/03

►December 23, 2003 - Top US general defends anthrax jabs for troops - AFP via www.spacewar.com - "'It will become probably a legal matter to some degree. But from a military standpoint, I think it's very important we have this capability to protect our troops and enable them to do their job.'" - 12/24/03

►December 24, 2003 - Pentagon defends vaccine, says anthrax shots safe - AP via Chicago Sun-Times - "''We're using a vaccine that has been around for 40 years,'' Myers said. ''It is not experimental. It has been approved by the FDA [Food and Drug Administration]. I think it's very important that we have this capability to protect our troops.'''...When asked if they would comply with the decision, officials would only say that they are studying the issue...That raises the question of what would happen to a service member if they now refused to take the anthrax vaccine, or until the Pentagon decides how to proceed." - 12/24/03

►December 24, 2003 - Anthrax shots should not be forced on members of military - The Daily Telegram - "It’s true that when you join the military you have to follow government requirements and live by the rules of the service you’ve chosen. But such rules should not include being forced to get an anthrax vaccination. On Monday, a federal judge wisely ruled that the Pentagon cannot require military personnel to get the vaccinations unless they agree to it." - 12/24/03

►December 23, 2003 - Vaccine Ruling - PBS - "A federal judge Monday ordered the Defense Dept. to stop administering anthrax vaccinations to U.S. troops without their consent. The Pentagon responded Tuesday that the practice is necessary to keep soldiers safe. Experts discuss the future of the Pentagon's anthrax vaccination program." - 12/24/03

►December 23, 2003 - DOD Temporarily Stops Anthrax Vaccinations Pending Legal Clarification - Anthrax Vaccine Immunization Program via www.anthrax.mil - 12/24/03

►December 23, 2003 - DOCTORS: Anthrax vaccine decision right for military; now apply it to children. - Press Release - Association of American Physicians and Surgeons, Inc. - 12/24/03

►December 23, 2003 - Pentagon Defends Anthrax Vaccine Program - Reuters via Wired - "Zaid said if the Pentagon deems the shots 'voluntary,' they must allow service members and civilian contractors directed to get them to opt out with no repercussions...'When the next person is ordered to line up for the shot, they have to, before they inject the shot, say, "Listen, if you don't want to take this, you don't have to." If that person says, "No," they say, "OK, move on." That's informed consent.'...If that was not done, 'then they are in violation of the judge's order and subject to contempt of court.'" - 12/23/03

►December 23, 2003 - Anthrax Vaccine a Personal Choice for Military - Lansing’s Bioport Could See Sales Slide - www.wilx.com - "Bioport says it plans to appeal the decision." - 12/23/03

►December 23, 2003 - Myers: Troops Need Anthrax Vaccinations - Air Force Gen. Richard Myers Says Anthrax Vaccinations Important 'To Protect Troops' - AP via ABC News - 12/23/03

►December 23, 2003 - Assistant Secretary of Defense Health Affairs William Winkenwerder Briefing - www.defenselink.mil - 12/23/03

►December 23, 2003 - Anthrax Shots Require Consent, Military Told - Washington Post - "A federal judge in Washington yesterday ordered the Pentagon to stop administering an anthrax vaccine to U.S. service members without their consent, ruling that defense officials cannot require troops to 'serve as guinea pigs for experimental drugs.'...Sullivan said he was not persuaded by arguments from Pentagon lawyers that administering the vaccine on a voluntary basis would interfere with military operations in Iraq and elsewhere. But if they believe that is the case, the judge said, federal law gives them the option of obtaining a presidential waiver of service members' right to informed consent. Such a waiver, Sullivan wrote, 'would be an expeditious end to this controversy.'" - 12/23/03

►December 24, 2003 - Judge rules US troops were 'guinea pigs' for anthrax jabs - www.theage.com.au - 12/23/03

►December 23, 2003 - Judge Halts Forced Military Anthrax Shots - Judge Tells U.S. to Stop Forcing Military Personnel to Get Anthrax Vaccine if They Don't Want It - AP via ABC News - "A court ruling against forcing soldiers to take anthrax vaccinations raises the question of whether officials should reconsider the punishments given those who refused the shots...Ruling that some use of the vaccine is experimental, a federal judge said Monday that servicemen and women should not have to take the vaccine unless they consent." - 12/23/03

►December 23, 2003 - Vaccines in the News - War Declared Over Anthrax Vaccine/Flu Panic and Profits - by Randall Neustaedter OMD - Natural Health Newsletter - 12/23/03

►December 23, 2003 - Anthrax ruling may not help local reservist - The Advocate, Newark - "An Ohio National Guard member from Granville could still go to jail and be discharged for refusing to take the anthrax vaccine, despite a federal judge's ruling Monday that the military no longer may force troops to take the shots against their will without an order of the president...'We are hopeful the national guard will respect the opinion of the federal court in Washington and no longer consider Kurt in violation,' said Kenneth Levine, Hickman's attorney...Hickman's father, Bill Hickman, said he was happy to hear about the federal judge's ruling...'All we wanted was for the prosecutor to observe the law,' Bill Hickman said. 'That's what this court case that just came down says -- they haven't observed the law because it's experimental.'" - 12/23/03

►December 23, 2003 - Judge Assails Vaccine Plan Strikes Down Military's Mandatory Anthrax Shots (requires registration) - AP and www.ctnow.com - "The federal government approved the vaccine three decades ago. But plaintiffs in the class action suit - unidentified active duty, National Guard and civilian defense employees - say the license does not include approval for use against inhalation anthrax." - 12/23/03

►December 22, 2003 - Judge Halts Military's Required Anthrax Shots (requires registration or subscription) - The New York Times - 12/23/03

Posted December 27

December 22, 2003 - MEMORANDUM OPINION - John Doe #1 et al, Plaintiffs v. Donald H. Rumsfeld et al, Defendants - Decision re: forced anthrax vaccinations in the military - 12/22/03

December 22, 2003 - Judges Halt Forced Military Anthrax Shots - AP via Newsday - "The Pentagon must stop forcing servicemen and women to take the anthrax vaccination against their will, unless President Bush signs a special order, a judge ruled Monday...Millions of shots have been given and hundreds of service members have been punished for refusing them since the mandatory vaccinations started in 1998...The judge ruled that the anthrax vaccinations fell under a 1998 law prohibiting the use of certain experimental drugs unless people being given the drug consent or the president waives the consent requirement." - 12/22/03

Comment: !!!!!!!

December 12, 2003 - State ranks high for bioterror readiness - AP via Jackson Sun - 12/16/03

December 18, 2003 - Scientists urged to take responsibility for bioterrorism (requires registration) - BioMedNet - "As Nobel Laureate Paul Berg describes the state of security at 'Anti-Plague Institutes' in some countries of the former Soviet Union as "scandalous", David Franz, Director of the US National Agricultural Biosecurity Center, calls on scientists to take responsibility for controlling the threat of bioterrorism...Thousands of vials of the plague organism Yersinia pestis, and hundreds of vials of Bacillus anthrax and other dangerous pathogens, continue to reside in poorly guarded fridges and freezers of the Anti-Plague Institutes, according to Raymond Zilinskas of the Center for Nonproliferation Studies at the Monterey Institute of International Studies, California, who is due to publish a report on the subject...Staff responsible for maintaining the stocks receive salaries as low as US$30 per month, which poses the possibility that terrorists could easily gain unauthorized access through bribery, says Zilinskas." - 12/19/03

December 18, 2003 - Tracking Gulf War Veterans' Health - Ivanhoe Newswire via www.wave3.com - "A new study shows the health of Gulf war veterans has improved in recent years, but is still poorer than that of other military personnel. In another study, researchers found Gulf war veterans are not at an increased risk for cancer." - 12/18/03

December 16, 2003 - Panel urges fresh focus on terror - Says push to protect US has waned since '01 - AP via Boston Globe - 12/17/03

Posted December 26

December 12, 2003 - U.S. to Assist Emergency Workers Hurt by Smallpox Vaccine - Associated Press via www.immunizationinfo.org - 12/16/03

December 11, 2003 - Bioterrorism Preparedness Is Criticized - AP via Las Vegas Sun - 12/16/03

Posted December 24

December 8, 2003 - Injections Said to Hamper Bioterror Fight - AP via ABC News - "Coming up with medicines that can be given in a nasal spray or by slapping on a patch rather than injections would be a big help in developing and stockpiling vaccines against major bioterrorism threats, an official involved in the government's Project Bioshield said Sunday...Trying to prepare and administer injections to the entire populations of even just major urban areas would be unwieldy and impractical, Dr. Philip K. Russell said in a talk wrapping up a meeting of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene in Philadelphia." - 12/15/03

December 5, 2003 - Anthrax contaminated facility re-opens - The Washington Times via UPI - 12/15/03

December 8, 2003 - Boca company patents anthrax-killing treatment - Sun-Sentinel - 12/15/03

December 8, 2003 - Kit developed to fight smallpox terrorism - Japan Today - "Police and the Tokyo metropolitan government have developed a special kit to diagnose smallpox cases in the shortest possible time, on the assumption that Japan may face bioterrorism, police and Tokyo government sources said Sunday." - 12/15/03

December 8, 2003 - The High Cost Of Making an Anthrax Drug - Human Genome Sciences Needs Commitment From Government to Proceed With Treatment - Washington Post - 12/15/03

December 13, 2003 - The health consequences of the first Gulf war - The lessons are general (and for many patients) rather thanspecific to that war - journal article (BMJ) - 12/15/03

December 13, 2003 - Gulf war illness—better, worse, or just the same? A cohort study - journal article (BMJ) - 12/15/03

December 13, 2003 - Incidence of cancer among UK Gulf war veterans: cohort study - journal article (BMJ) - 12/15/03

December 9, 2003 - Healthwise Handbook ─ New 16th Edition Includes Bioterror Response Information - Business Wire - 12/15/03

December 12, 2003 - Bioterror Preparedness Still Lacking, Health Group Concludes - Washington Post - 12/15/03

December 11, 2003 - Microbiology: Chemical Warfare and Mycobacterial Defense (requires subscription) - Science - 12/15/03

December 11, 2003 - Report says states unready for bioterror - UPI via The Washington Times - 12/15/03

December 11, 2003 - Report: States only moderately prepared to handle bioterror - AP via USA Today - 12/15/03

December 11, 2003 - Study Finds Federal Bioterrorism Funds Have Yielded Only Modest Improvements in States (PDF) - Trust for America’s Health - 12/15/03

December 5, 2003 - Butler Cleared on Most Biosecurity Charges, Convicted of Fraud (requires subscription) - Science - 12/15/03

December 8, 2003 - Butler verdict perplexes - The Scientist - 12/15/03

December 3, 2003 - US microbiologist Thomas Butler guilty of theft, fraud, and illegally mailing bacteria - Nature - 12/15/03

Posted December 21

December 12, 2003 - Smallpox Vaccine Victims Can Seek Payment - AP via Yahoo! - "More than 38,000 medical care workers, police, firefighters and other emergency responders have been vaccinated against smallpox under an emergency response plan that went into effect last January. Officials estimate that about 2 percent of those vaccinated experienced some sort of medical injury as a result...Under rules announced Friday, those injured by the smallpox vaccine will be able to seek compensation from a $42 million program that provides both financial and medical benefits." - 12/21/03

December 14, 2003 - Biotech threat scenarios get scary - Toledo Blade - "A newly declassified Central Intelligence Agency report warns that rogue scientists could highjack biotechnology and create super-microbes far worse than the virus staring in "24 Hours," Fox television’s popular drama...The CIA portrays them as viruses and bacteria from hell." - 12/21/03

Posted December 17

December 12, 2003 - Boom, or bust? - Hundreds of millions of dollars are pouring into US biodefence research. You might expect scientists working on infectious diseases to be unequivocally delighted. But things aren't that simple, says Erika Check. (requires registration) - drug discovery @ www.nature.com - 12/12/03

Posted December 15

December 15, 2003 - Should troops get the anthrax vaccination? - NO: Vaccination program rife with unresolved concerns - letter - (Requires registration) - Army Times - 12/11/03

December 15, 2003 - Should troops get the anthrax vaccination? - YES: Vaccines give protection against the threat of anthrax - letter (Requires registration) - Army Times - 12/11/03

December 15, 2003 - Resolution questions vaccine programs - A senator wants the Pentagon to reconsider its mandatory anthrax and smallpox vaccine policies — and the health and career consequences of those policies on U.S. troops. (Requires registration) - Army Times - 12/11/03

December 15, 2003 - New anthrax antibody quick-acting in animals - A pharmaceutical company and a Texas university have teamed to develop a way to protect immediately against inhalation anthrax, the bacteria that defense officials say is a potential germ-warfare threat to U.S. troops and civilians. (Requires registration) - Army Times - 12/11/03

December 15, 2003 - Deployment health: The proof is in the data - Congressional investigators are “encouraged” by the steps defense officials say they have taken to protect the health of deployed troops, but the proof of compliance will come only when troops’ records are reviewed, the General Accounting Office said. (Requires registration) - Army Times - 12/11/03

Posted December 14

Bio-Terrorism Countermeasures - Requirements & Funding - Defense Week via www.kingpublishing.com - conference alert - Washington, DC - March 9-10, 2003 - 12/9/03

Vaccine Safety Advocates Support Senator's Vaccine Safety Resolution - NVIC via PRNewswire - "Americans for Vaccine Safety and Accountability, headed by the National Vaccine Information Center (NVIC), are joining with other parent, veteran and health care organizations in support of a proposed Senate resolution asking Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld to review the safety of the military's mandatory anthrax and smallpox vaccination programs. The resolution is being sponsored by Sen. Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) in response to mounting reports of serious health problems, including unexpected deaths, after soldiers are vaccinated." - 12/8/03

Anger over vaccines festers (requires registration) - The Orlando Sentinel - "When Zack Johnson enlisted in the Navy in 1996, he planned to make it a career...That was before the Miami resident refused to take a mandatory anthrax vaccination -- a decision that left him court-martialed, jailed and booted out of the military without so much as a customary bus ticket home...Still, Mike Girard would trade places with him any day." - 12/05/03

To learn about and/or order an excellent documentary, narrated by Michael Douglas, on the military's anthrax vaccine program, click here. "Direct Order tells the story of members of the military who were ordered against their will to receive the controversial anthrax vaccine. Years later, after all the disturbing facts about the vaccine have surfaced, the US military still intends to vaccinate all our troops."

When science breeds nightmares - Dangerous research - International Herald Tribune - "The announcement that an American biologist has tried to create more deadly types of pox viruses in order to develop countermeasures against them raises serious concerns about the lack of control over research involving dangerous pathogens...The explosion in this type of research after the terrorist and anthrax attacks of 2001 underscores the importance of developing sound oversight mechanisms to ensure that efforts designed to protect the United States against biological attacks do not themselves create new dangers." - 12/03/03

Doctoring Orders - www.tompaine.com - "Equally important, this case highlights the bipartisan indifference of a Congress that for decades has refused to hold the military accountable for law-breaking and unethical behavior related to its practice of medicine." - 12/03/03

Posted December 9

Senator Bingaman's Resolution: Expressing the sense of the Senate regarding the anthrax and smallpox vaccines - 11/28/03

Ohio Guardsman refuses anthrax vaccination - The Cleveland Plain Dealer - "An Ohio National Guard member whose unit is scheduled for deployment in January is refusing to be vaccinated against anthrax and could wind up in jail." - 11/26/03

Coroner links veteran's death to the Gulf war - The Independent, UK - "The widow of a Gulf war veteran claimed a landmark victory last night after a coroner decided that his military service in the conflict had contributed to his death." - 11/25/03

Acambis gets booster shot from smallpox - Reuters - "Vaccine maker Acambis swung to a third-quarter profit after it sold smallpox jabs to the United States, and it says its pipeline of experimental drugs is progressing well." - 11/25/03

Senator: Military must review vaccine use - UPI - "A week after the Pentagon acknowledged one soldier's death might have been caused by a vaccine reaction, a U.S. senator is calling on the military to reconsider mandatory anthrax and smallpox vaccinations that he says could be causing "grievous" harm...Sen. Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M., plans on Tuesday to introduce a "Sense of the Senate" resolution asking Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld to review the vaccine program amid growing reports of serious side effects...'An estimated 84 percent of the personnel who had anthrax vaccine shots ... reported having side effects or reactions'..." - 11/24/03

Veteran death linked to Gulf War - The death of an army veteran in 2001 was linked to his service in the 1991 Gulf War, a coroner has ruled. - BBC - 11/24/03

U.S. Moves To Reduce Ebola Bioterrorism Threat – U.S. State Department via www.scoop.co.nz - 11/24/03

Soldiers to sue over new Gulf War syndrome - The Guardian, Uk - "Multiple vaccinations given in the run-up to the conflict are being blamed for chronic pains, stomach problems, rashes, swelling, fever, depression and anxiety...Lawyers and medical experts say the symptoms are identical to those which affected thousands of veterans after the 1991 Gulf conflict." - 11/23/03

Posted December 2

A poxy story - For several hundred years, a type of pox virus known as vaccinia has been saving lives. Today it is still proving useful to medicine - The Economist - "If researchers can discover why vaccinia, and other pox viruses, are so good at evading the efforts of immune cells, they will make a significant advance in understanding the way the human immune system works." - 11/20/03

Smallpox In Europe Selected For Genetic Mutation That Confers Resistance To HIV Infection - www.sciencedaily.com - 11/20/03

Pentagon insists vaccine deaths rare - But family of medic who died wants changes in procedure - AP via MSNBC - "Moses Lacy once accused the Pentagon of a vaccine cover-up. Now, seven months after his daughter’s death following five military-issued shots, Lacy hopes officials finally are taking his concerns about vaccine safety seriously...Some veterans groups critical of government handling of illness in people who served in the Gulf War and the Iraq conflict said they believe the smallpox or anthrax vaccines likely were the culprit in Rachael Lacy’s death — and that the Pentagon knew that all along." - 11/20/03

Test May Predict Adverse Reaction to Smallpox Vaccinations - www.newswise.com - 11/20/03

Medic's death may have been caused by vaccinations, Pentagon says - AP via www.sacbee.com - 11/19/03

Soldier's death tied to vaccines - But panels' conclusion not factored into probe of pneumonia cases - www.worldnetdaily.com - 11/19/03

Soldier's Death Tied to Vaccines / Experimental Ebola vaccine attracts no volunteers - AHRP - 11/19/03

Soldier's Death May Be Related to Vaccines - The New York Times - "A 22-year-old Army reservist who died in April may have succumbed to a combination of vaccinations, including those for smallpox and anthrax, the Pentagon said yesterday...But an Army medical expert, calling the death "a rare and tragic case," said the military's vaccination policies would not be changed." - 11/19/03

CDC Director Denies Existence of U.S. Smallpox Immunization Program - Global Security Newswire - "In a sharp departure from previous public comments by senior U.S. officials, the director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday that the United States never launched a smallpox vaccination program this year, but instead worked toward an overall preparedness campaign (see GSN, Oct. 28)." - 11/19/03

Comment: No comment....

Posted November 30

U.S. Soldier's Death Is Tied To Vaccines - The Washington Post - 11/18/03

Smallpox Is Bush's Worst Failure. But He Can Fix the Problem. - D.C. Dispatch via www.theatlanticonline.com - "McGlinchey's article ably details what went wrong: exaggerated fears of the vaccine's side effects; confusing signals from the administration; underfunding; failure to address liability concerns; lack of compensation for health workers made ill by the vaccine or, as a safety precaution, sidelined for up to two weeks after inoculation; above all, the failure from President Bush on down to explain clearly why these vaccinations are important." - 11/18/03

Comment: Were fears of the vaccine's side effects exaggerated, or has a failure to recognize the vaccine's side effects allowed a perception that they were exaggerated?

US scientists warn CIA on new generation of biological weapons - AFP via Yahoo! - "These new tools of war were likely to include binary biological agents made up of two components that are relatively harmless separately but that become deadly when combined, according to the CIA account." - 11/18/03

Comment: And what of potential problem re: combination and multiply administered vaccines, as demonstrated in the 1986 Science article, Two avirulent herpes simplex viruses generate lethal recombinants in vivo? And why has there not been recognition and study of this potentially disastrous problem with vaccines?

State opens first botulism lab - Anchorage Daily News via The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner - 11/18/03

Smallpox selected for genetic mutation that today confers resistance to HIV - UC Berkeley News - 11/18/03

Frontlines | Smallpox Vaccination Plan Is 'Kaput'--Or Is It? - The Scientist - 11/17/03

Summary of “The Science of Vaccines: Leading the Way in Disease Prevention and Biodefense - This program for journalists was sponsored by the North Carolina Association for Biomedical Research (NCABR) and Research!America. Biogen, Inc. and the North Carolina Biotechnology Center provided additional support. - www.ncabr.org (May 8, 2003) - 11/15/03

U.S. Germ Detection System Active in 31 Cities - Reuters Health via Medline - 11/14/03

Smallpox Vaccination Program Implementation - Institute of Medicine - "The transcript of this meeting will be posted here as soon as it is available." - 11/13/03

Rep. Markey Calls President Bush's Smallpox Vaccine Compensation Proposal "Vague and Limited" - Press Release - 11/12/03

Posted November 29

What Is the Next Plague? - The New York Times - "No one knows when or where the next plague will occur, or whether it will be from a natural or bioterrorist attack...But it is coming." - 11/11/03

Comment: What, no mention of the role vaccines might be playing in causing mutations and more virulent diseases, and in general wreaking havoc with our immune systems? For more on this, go to: Scandals: Prescription For Disaster - Is Vaccine Policy A "House of Cards"? - 11/11/03

Studies describe heart disease following smallpox vaccination - American Heart Association via www.eurekalert.org - "Heart-related complications can occur after the smallpox vaccine, but symptoms are usually mild, according to three studies presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2003...Public health officials expected some adverse reactions associated with the smallpox program, but didn't anticipate heart complications, he said...'The smallpox vaccine appears to be associated with myocarditis and pericarditis, but so far disease has been mild in civilians who received the vaccine,' Schieber said." - 11/10/03

Comment: Has the disease really been mild, or have possible serious cases merely been summarily dismissed as being related to the vaccine? And should it have been a surprise? (For more on this, go to: Scandals: Whose job is it, anyway?)

Immune memory from smallpox vaccination lasts more 50 years, according to Emory research - www.eurekalert.org - 11/10/03

Mousepox Research Poses Controversy - The Badger Herald Online - "A St. Louis University professor has sparked controversy and ethical debate concerning public access to potentially lethal agents by creating a deadly version of the mousepox virus...Maki said that if published, the recipe for the creation of the virus will be available to all, and this is not very responsible. Others do not think the publication of the research poses a serious threat, and would not like scientific information suppressed." - 11/10/03

Posted November 25

Health center gives vaccinations to emergency workers - Clinic volunteers needed for emergencies - Texarkana Gazette - 11/8/03

CDC To Grade States' Bioterror Plans - AP via www.intelihealth.com - 11/7/03

Public Health Security and Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response Act: FDA Meeting Information Correction - Federal Register - 11/7/03

Handle with care - Scientists are rushing to defend a colleague charged with mishandling samples of the plague bacterium. But they must be careful not to send the message that microbiologists are blasé about the need to protect public health. (requires payment) - Nature - 11/6/03

WHO Assails Wealthy Nations on Bioterror - The Washington Post via naccho - 11/05/03

US crackdown on bioterror is backfiring- NewScientist - 11/05/03

Posted November 24

RFD Columnist, Dr. Meryl Nass, Says Smallpox Vaccine Safety Reports Issued By The U.S. Department Of Defense Are Misleading. Here Is A Report Presented By The Alliance For Human Research Protection - AHRP via www.redflagsdaily.com - 11/3/03

Scientists: Laboratory Work Offers Hope for Smallpox Protection - www.voanews.com - 11/2/03

50 Years Ago in The Journal of Pediatrics - Smallpox vaccination and pregnancy - journal article - 11/1/03

Engineered Virus Related to Smallpox Evades Vaccine - The Washington Post - 11/1/03

Scientists create a supervirus in order to destroy it - AP via www.newsobserver.com - "A research team backed by a federal grant has created a genetically engineered mousepox virus designed to evade vaccines, highlighting the deadly potential of biotechnology and bioterrorism." - 11/1/03

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