Ben Johnson,The White House Watch
The Obama administration is considering injecting American children with an anthrax vaccine in an unprecedented scientific experiment that bioethicists say will unnecessarily endanger the youngsters’lives and health. The National Biodefense Safety Board (NBSB),will vote todayabout whether the pediatric vaccinations should go forward. A smaller working group comprised of a whopping eight members endorsed the vaccinations in September.Since 1998,more than a million people have been vaccinated,mostly servicemen stationed overseas. The vaccinations were temporarily halted by court order but continue today.
Following the 2001 Anthrax infections on Capitol Hill,which resulted in 18 infections and five deaths,then-Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist,who is also a physician,said:
There are very real and potentially serious side effects from the vaccine and anyone who elects to receive the vaccine needs to be made aware of that. I do not recommend widespread inoculation for people with the vaccine in the Hart Building. There are too many side effects and if there is limited chance of exposure the side effects would far outweigh any potential advantage.
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) reported in June 2007 that “some servicemembers who received the anthrax and smallpox vaccines”experienced “severe reactions such as migraines,heart problems,and the onset of diseases including diabetes and multiple sclerosis. The vaccine has never been tested on juveniles,and no one is certain how a child’s developing immune system will react. Experts believe they are more likely to have severe reactions than their military counterparts. In fact,scientists are unsure of the proper dosage to administer to children,whose parents would have to volunteer them for the research.
The proposal might seem moderately less objectionable if it achieved some concrete aim,but experts are unsure it will accomplish its advertised ends. Dr. Vicky L. Debold of George Mason Universitysummarized the gaps in knowledge,even if the experiments take place. “We’ll know what antibody levels these infants produce,but do we know those antibodies are going to protect against death due to anthrax exposure?”
Bioethicist Art Caplan of the University of Pennsylvania said he is opposed to testing. “We may get,sadly,to that point some day,”he said,“but I don’t think we’re there yet.”Dr. Joel Frader of Northwestern University agreed,“It would be difficult to justify testing it on kids simply on the hypothetical possibility that there might be an attack.”Dr. Meryl Nass was more outspoken. “With this,you’re putting children at risk for no clear scientific or medical benefit,”she said.
Nonetheless,Obama appears poised to barrel forward. The NBSB chair,Daniel Fagbuyi of Children’s National Medical Center in Washington,tipped the NBSB’s hat to the media earlier this week. “At the end of the day,do we want to wait for an attack and give it to millions and millions of children and collect data at that time?”he fearmongered. “Or do we want to say:‘How do we best protect our children?’We can take care of Grandma and Grandpa,Uncle and Auntie. But right now we have nothing for the children.”
Nicole Lurie,the assistant secretary for bioterrorism at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) heightened the fear,saying it was “socially irresponsible”to wait. “I would hate for a lot of children to die because we didn’t have enough information for the public to feel comfortable getting vaccine.”
The media have raised questions about the financial ties between the Democratic Party and the creator of one anthrax vaccine.
The only currently approved vaccine….
