Pentagon Smallpox Immunizations Run Better Than Anthrax Program, GAO Finds

By David McGlinchey
Global Security Newswire

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Defense Department has run its smallpox vaccination program better than its anthrax vaccination program, according to a General Accounting Office report released yesterday (see GSN, Nov. 18).

In September 2002, the GAO reported on the limited availability of the anthrax vaccine and a general frustration among military personnel with the information provided about the program.

By comparison, the Pentagon smoothed the progress of its smallpox vaccination program “by ensuring the availability of the vaccine and educating its personnel … both those who administered the vaccine and those who received it.”

The Pentagon began smallpox vaccinations in January inoculated more than 500,000 medical and support personnel in the first 10 months of the program. The anthrax vaccine became mandatory five years ago, and at least 37 members of the armed forces have been court-martialed for refusing the inoculation (see GSN, May 29).

“To ease concerns about receiving the smallpox vaccine, commanding officers received training materials in advance and presented information to potential vaccinees before the vaccination process began,” the report said.

The Pentagon also focused on limiting the amount of wasted vaccine, according to the GAO. Officers told the GAO investigators that the education and waste management efforts were put in place to avoid problems the Pentagon encountered with the anthrax program.

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