Mandatory anthrax vaccination for all 2.4 million US military personnel may
soon end. Congress’s subcommittee on national security has called the
three-year-old programme a “medical Maginot line” based on “a paucity of
science”. In a damning report, it accuses the Department of Defense of
understating the risks of the 40-year-old vaccine, and says vaccination has been
forced on people unlikely to encounter the disease. Furthermore, it says that
the vaccine causes adverse reactions and has never been shown to protect against
anthrax weapons.
To continue reading, today with our introductory offers
Advertisement
More from New Scientist
Explore the latest news, articles and features
Popular articles
Trending New Scientist articles
1
We've found a mysterious substance on Titan and Pluto
2
Has the answer to life's origins been hiding in our cells all along?
3
Carl Sagan's The Demon-Haunted World is still supremely relevant today
4
A quantum state that lasts forever may finally be within our grasp
5
Cervical cancer deaths have plummeted thanks to HPV vaccine
6
Our brains have their first thoughts surprisingly early in life
7
Pigeons lock their eyes in place when they are flying
8
Almost the whole of Japan moved eastward after 2011 earthquake
9
Fully autonomous drones have killed human soldiers for the first time
10
Millions of fossil whale bones found in deep-ocean ‘necropolis’
