The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Department of Defense, and National Institutes of Health will begin a collaborative study later this year in an effort to determine whether four injections of anthrax vaccine provide the same protection as the present six.
The Pentagon has insisted that anthrax immunization is necessary to protect US troops against possible future biological warfare attacks. Although the military contends that the vaccine has been shown to be safe when administered to veterinarians and others over the years, other experts—both civilian and military—argue that it poses a human health risk.
This congressionally mandated study is expected to involve 2000 volunteers at various sites. Besides considering whether the second (2 weeks after the first) and fourth (a year later) immunizations may be unnecessary, researchers will examine whether subcutaneous or intramuscular injection is less likely to induce a localized reaction and if booster immunizations could be given 2 years after the original 18-month regimen rather than annually.
Meanwhile, the mandatory anthrax immunization program is expected to continue in the US military.
