A severe shortage of the anthrax vaccine could cause rotation changes for the nation's servicemen because there's not enough of the vaccine left to protect everyone serving in the world's more attack-prone theaters, Deputy Secretary of Defense Rudy de Leon said Wednesday. A stockpile of the vaccine from the government's sole supplier, Michigan-based BioPort Corp., hasn't met Food and Drug Administration approval yet. Even with curtailed use, the Department of Defense estimates it only has a 10-month supply left.
Anthrax is a lethal, biological gas weapon that often causes flu-like symptoms.
The vaccine program itself has been controversial. Several House members have urged Secretary of Defense William Cohen to stop the vaccinations until the Pentagon finds an improved vaccine. Some soldiers have refused vaccinations. Two military police officers from Dyess Air Force Base in Abilene were discharged from the Air Force this year after refusing to take the anthrax vaccinations. More than 300 Dyess airmen are deployed all over the world.