She has since received a letter from the Ohio guard informing her she will be discharged. Poklar has referred the guardsmen to Ohio Adjutant General John H. Smith for disciplinary action. He declined to provide their names, citing privacy requirements. Taft spokesman Orest Holubec said Smith will take the action he deems necessary. The governor knows that General Smith has had the vaccination.
Anthrax is an infectious disease that normally affects animals, especially cattle and sheep.
Anthrax spores can be produced in a dry form and used as a terrorist weapon when released into the air. When inhaled by humans, anthrax particles can cause severe pneumonia and death within a week. Officials believe Iraq, North Korea and Russia are developing anthrax as a biological weapon. Studies have revealed no ties between the Gulf War Syndrome and the anthrax inoculations, military officials say. There can be some side effects, but most have been a local reaction.