By Tim Martin and A.J. Evenson
Lansing State Journal
October 12, 2000
The military's anthrax vaccination program is the leading reason an estimated 25 percent of Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve pilots have transferred, moved to inactive status or left the service in the past two years, according to a preliminary study released Wednesday.
The congressional report is the latest development for the controversial anthrax vaccine, made solely by Lansing's BioPort Corp. The program has been under scrutiny for more than a year because of health and financial concerns.
The General Accounting Office study suggests the mandatory vaccine program has caused people to leave the military, affecting the armed services' efforts to remain prepared for combat.
"It appears the Department of Defense continues to feel the problem can be ignored, despite the evidence," said Rep. Christopher Shays, R-Conn.
Pentagon officials said Wednesday they believe the anthrax vaccine is the best available defense against a deadly biological weapon possessed by Iraq and up to nine other nations.
The vaccine was made mandatory for all 2.4 million military personnel and reservists in late 1997, but the program has been scaled back because supplies have run low. BioPort has not yet won approval from the Food and Drug Administration to make vaccine at its renovated north Lansing labs.
Nearly 500,000 military personnel have received the shots, mostly people headed for the Persian Gulf.
"I am honestly and sincerely convinced, more than ever, that the anthrax vaccination program is the right thing to do," said Gen. Maj. Randall West, the Pentagon's adviser for chemical and biological weapons.
Military officials said that four of their six Reserve units show increased readiness compared with previous years, and that the anthrax vaccine does not appear to be a factor in the decreased readiness of the other two.
While military officials said the nation's armed forces remain prepared, concern was raised over whether replacements for those leaving the reserves have less experience and training. It costs about $6 million to fully train an Air Force pilot, a process that can take several years.
The GAO is a government agency that investigates issues for Congress. The agency's preliminary report to the House Committee on Government Reform was based on surveys of 1,250 Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve pilots and crews. Two-thirds of those surveyed responded.
The Guard and Reserve have 176,000 enlisted personnel and officers. The units are crucial to the military - called upon for combat, to move troops and provide emergency services worldwide.
The GAO report said the anthrax vaccine was listed as the No. 1 reason for leaving by 25 percent of the Reserve personnel who left or asked for reassignment between September 1998 and February 2000. Employment opportunities ranked second and family reasons ranked third.
The anthrax vaccine also was listed as the top reason for leaving by those who planned to depart the Reserve units within the next six months.
Military officials said the GAO survey focused exclusively on anthrax, which may have biased the results. The military's exit interviews do not mention anthrax at all, according to congressional testimony Wednesday.
Military reservists testified that up to 260 pilots have left Reserve units rather than take the vaccine, which some fear may make them sick. Others testified they've been retaliated against for refusing to take the vaccine.
"Why are they refusing to take the vaccine? It boils down to one word: Trust," said Pat Ross, a former Air National Guard squadron commander in Battle Creek. "They feel they can no longer trust leadership."
The military says less than 1 percent of troops vaccinated against anthrax reported adverse reactions to the shot. Most of those reactions are mild. Ten hospitalizations have been officially attributed to reactions to the vaccine, with all the patients recovering.
But the GAO report says the military's system of tracking adverse reactions underreports the problem because troops fear repercussions if they complain.
The GAO study says 86 percent of troops have negative reactions to the shot, mostly mild. Of those, 71 percent said they did not know the FDA was tracking adverse reactions.
An autopsy report suggests the anthrax vaccine may have contributed to the July death of a BioPort employee. The Pentagon and other agencies are investigating the cause of the employee's death.
Pentagon officials say troops should already be aware of the adverse-reaction reporting system because it is part of informational packets at bases.
At least 35 members of Congress have asked the Pentagon to halt the program or at least give troops the right to refuse vaccination. But the military says the program should remain mandatory because the benefits of the vaccine outweigh the risks.
"We've found out there's a lot of bad stuff out there, and it would kill you quickly if you weren't protected," West said. "We have a responsibility to the mothers and fathers in America to provide their sons and daughters with the best protection available."
BioPort is the sole maker of the anthrax vaccine. The company, private since 1998, was formerly the state-owned Michigan Biologic Products Institute.
BioPort officials declined to comment Wednesday, and directed questions about military retention to the Pentagon.
The Pentagon has pledged contracts to BioPort worth at least $45 million. The military is also paying BioPort about $2 million a month to keep the company afloat while it works toward FDA approval of its renovated labs.
Contact Tim Martin at 377-1061 or tmartin@lsj.com or A.J. Evenson at 377-1015 or aevenson@lsj.com.
Published 10.12.00