Symptoms of inhalation anthrax can begin as early as 24 hours after breathing the spores. Initial symptoms include fever, cough, and weakness and usually progress to breathing problems, shock, and death. They are among the most powerful tools developed by modern medicine for keeping people healthy. Vaccines are routinely used in the United States to protect against diseases such as mumps, measles, whooping cough and polio. As part of force protection, military personnel are given additional vaccines to protect against naturally occurring diseases encountered when deploying overseas, such as typhoid, hepatitis and yellow fever.
Vaccines also help protect against biological weapons.
A safe and effective licensed vaccine against anthrax is available. The Department of Defense has established a vaccination program to protect military personnel against anthrax. The anthrax vaccine is a formalin-inactivated vaccine used to protect people against anthrax. This vaccine contains no living organisms. The anthrax vaccine is not new.