Subject: Bingo, a Funk article on "routine

Date: Thu, 01 Jul 1999 16:31:40 -0400

From: anna nim <anna_nim@ix.netcom.com>

To: Meryl Nass <mnass@igc.apc.org>

Army Times Published: 04-05-99 Category: FRONTLINES

New 'Routine' On Anthrax / Army Brochures Overstate Use

Of Vaccine

By Deborah M. Funk

The Army is rethinking the wording of its anthrax

vaccine

brochures.

The brochures assert the vaccine "has been safely

and routinely

administered in the

U.S. to veterinarians, laboratory workers, and livestock

handlers for

more than 25 years."

But civilian veterinarians say it's not routinely used

in this country,

except in laboratories,

because the disease has not posed a significant public

health problem in

the United States for

many years.

"As far as veterinarians being routinely

vaccinated, that is not

the case," said David

Huxsoll, dean at Louisiana State University School of

Veterinary

Medicine. Veterinarians

who work in research labs there receive the shots.

Now Army officials say they never meant to imply

there was frequent

and widespread

use among civilian veterinarians.

"We are considering changing the language since

some people may be

interpreting the

word 'routine' differently than we intended," said Army

Medical Command

spokeswoman

Cynthia Vaughan, who added, "We did not intend to

mislead or confuse

people."

Huxsoll, a retired commander at the U.S. Army

Medical Research

Institute of

Infectious Diseases at Fort Detrick, Md., where anthrax

is studied in

animal tests, said that

in his opinion the vaccine is safe and effective. He has

been vaccinated

with three shots.

"I would surely take it. And if I were going into a

(high threat)

area, I would actually

ask for it," Huxsoll said.

Reserved.