With so many myths circulating on the Internet about the safety of the Anthrax vaccine, it s no wonder some Sailors have their doubts. But Machinist Mate 3rd Class David Stickle from Healy, Alaska, said most of the hype is due to incorrect information and ignorance. If a Navy doctor, who has had many years of college and training, tells me the Anthrax shot is safe, then that is all I need to know. Anthrax vaccinations began being dispersed to the military after the Secretary of Defense became convinced from intelligence reports that anthrax was a very serious threat to men and women in uniform. William Bigham, Seventh Fleet Surgeon.
Anthrax is easy to produce, store and make into a weapon.
It is inexpensive and very lethal. Anthrax, a disease caused by bacteria and normally associated with plant-eating animals, is considered 99 percent lethal to unprotected people exposed to battlefield concentrations of the agent. Because Anthrax is highly lethal, easy to produce in large quantities and easily spread over large areas, the threat of biological warfare is extremely great to unprotected personnel. The vaccine prevents illness by stimulating the body s natural disease-fighting abilities. However, according to Bigham, the Anthrax vaccine does not contain living or dead anthrax organisms.