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The
US army has lost two of its soldiers to a pneumonia outbreak,
which has also affected nearly 100 other servicemen in different
regions of Iraq and southwest Asia. Among the 100 cases, 19
servicemen (including 17 soldiers), one sailor and one marine
required hospitalisation and artificial ventilation due to the
seriousness of their conditions. Fourteen of these cases have
recovered while three remain hospitalised.
The
pneumonia cases started to appear in March when two of the
serious cases developed. Two more cases appeared in April, one
in May, six in June, four in July and four cases during August.
Most of the cases developed in Iraq; however, six of them
occurred in other countries such as Djibouti, Kuwait, Qatar and
Uzbekistan.
Two
epidemiological consultation teams were sent to investigate the
reasons behind the outbreak of pneumonia. One of these teams was
sent to the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, the place of
treatment of most of the serious cases following their medical
evacuation, and the other was sent to Iraq.
So
far, no infectious agent has been identified as being the cause
of the pneumonia outbreak among US troops – with the exception
of two of the non-fatal cases being caused by the bacterium
Streptococcus pneumoniae, the commonest bacterial cause of the
disease. Other causes such as SARS, Legionnaire’s disease and
exposure to chemical or biological weapons have been excluded.
Person-to-person contact has also been excluded.
Concern
Over Anthrax Vaccine
Pneumonia,
a serious inflammation of the lungs, can be caused by a number
of different factors. These include infectious agents – such
as bacteria, viruses, parasites and fungi – as well as
non-infectious agents such as chemicals and the inhalation of
dust and smoke. The inflammation affects the air sacs in the
lungs which become filled with pus and other fluids that
interfere with the transport of oxygen into the blood stream.
One
factor being looked into as the possible culprit is the anthrax
vaccine. According to United Press International (UPI), a study
performed last year on the possible side effects of the vaccine
found it to have been the possible or probable cause of
pneumonia in two soldiers. The study which was performed by the
Anthrax Vaccine Expert Committee was published in the May issue
of Pharmacoepidemiology and Drug Safety last year. The
Committee was assembled by the US Department of Health and Human
Services; it studied 602 reports of possible side effects to the
vaccine among the 400,000 troops who were vaccinated with it.
These side effects included pneumonia and flu-like symptoms. Two
cases experienced difficulty in breathing, which suggested an
allergic reaction to the vaccine. There were also reports of
severe back pain following vaccination.
Controversial
Vaccination Programs
“It’s…
suspicious in my mind... that she’s healthy, gets the
vaccinations and then dies a couple weeks later.” |
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Another
possibly related incident to the pneumonia outbreak was the
death of a 22-year-old Army specialist named Rachael Lacy, who
died at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota on April 4th before being
deployed to Iraq. Her death also resulted from pneumonia which
was apparently caused by her having received the Anthrax and
Smallpox vaccines.
After
performing an autopsy, Dr. Eric Pfeifer told the Army Times
that Lacy’s death might have been partly caused by the
smallpox and anthrax vaccines. He said, “It’s just very
suspicious in my mind... that she’s healthy, gets the
vaccinations and then dies a couple weeks later.”
However,
although this case may seem relevant to the pneumonia outbreak
in Iraq and southwest Asia, the Pentagon has excluded it from
their current investigations since she never reached Iraq.
According
to UPI, certain medical journals and some military officials
have also mentioned the possibility of the anthrax vaccine being
linked to some cases of pneumonia. “Deputy Secretary of
Defense Dr. John Hamre told the House Military Personnel
Subcommittee on Sept. 30, 1999, that there had been three
reports of ‘serious illness’ linked to the anthrax vaccine
that had included ‘hypersensitivity pneumonia.’”
In
June of this year CBS News reported that, “Among 600,000
people who got anthrax shots in the past year, possible side
effects are reported by the military in only a fraction of one
percent: .142 percent or 852 reports per 600,000 people. The GAO
investigation released last fall found a much higher rate in a
survey of vaccines: 85 percent, with side effects ranging from
lumps and rashes to hospitalizations.”
The
vaccine was licensed in 1970 and has been given ever since to
military personnel considered at risk to the disease. Yet, five
years ago, the vaccination of troops with the anthrax vaccine
has become mandatory. Servicemen refusing to take the vaccine
have been disciplined, thrown out of the army or
court-martialed. This has been the fate of hundreds of
servicemen who, fearing the possible side effects of the
vaccine, have refused to take it.
Furthermore,
the Pentagon has also failed up till now to publicly declare the
vaccines as a possible cause of the outbreak of pneumonia among
US troops. This has led some to speculate that the Pentagon
might be trying to cover up something.
Sources:
Aisha
El-Awady has a bachelor’s degree in medicine from
Cairo University and is currently preparing her MA and working
as instructor of Parasitology in the Faculty of Medicine. She
may be contacted at aawady@islam-online.net.
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