U.S. and Canada disagree on mandatory troop anthrax vaccinations

Here is an interesting international contrast. In late February, Rockville, Maryland-based Emergent BioSolutions announced that it had delivered just under one million doses of its controversial BioThrax to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for placement into the nation’s strategic national stockpile; while at the same time, the U.S. military is reimposing a previously suspended program requiring the vaccine for troops on high threat missions abroad. Yet our Canadian comrades in arms are not as easily convinced. “At this point in time, we are not requiring our people to have anthrax vaccinations nor are we considering it,” said Canadian military spokeswoman Gloria Kelly, noting that troops heading to Afghanistan may volunteer for it if they like.

The difference, observers say, is in risk estimates prepared by U.S. and Canadian military health authorities, with the former being perhaps a bit too overcautious and perhaps motivated by the present administration’s near-obsession with WMD threats. According to Dr. Ron Wojtyk of the Canadian Forces health services, the threat of anthrax exposure in Afghanistan is not sufficient enough to make the vaccine mandatory, although he admits the threat may be larger in Iraq. “If we deploy to an area where there is a threat of anthrax or possible release on a bioterrorist type of scenario, then there would be an order for anthrax and it would be mandatory,” Wojtyk said. Canada did require vaccinations when it took part in the 1991 Gulf War.

-read more in Dene Moore’s Canadian Press report