There are no known long-term side effects to the anthrax vaccine. None has developed any unexplained symptoms due to repeated doses of this or any other vaccine they received. DOD isn't reporting adverse events after anthrax vaccination. DOD health-care providers must report hospitalizations, loss of duty greater than 24 hours and suspected lot contamination. They are encouraged to report other relevant events.
Anthrax vaccine is one of the causes of illness among veterans of the Persian Gulf War.
The Institute of Medicine, a presidential advisory committee, the National Institutes of Health and the Defense Science Board independently concluded that there is no evidence that anthrax vaccine caused any of the illnesses among Gulf War veterans. Unexplained symptoms were reported among those who received the vaccine, as well as among those who did not. The anthrax vaccine contains squalene. Anthrax vaccine protects against anthrax of the skin, but not against inhaled anthrax. In a pivotal study, five cases of inhaled anthrax occurred among unvaccinated people, while no cases occurred among vaccinated people.