2011 Risk/Benefit Analysis of the Anthrax Vaccine Immunization Program
Davis, Karla L.
Synopsis "2011 Risk/Benefit Analysis of the Anthrax Vaccine Immunization Program"
Safety, efficacy, and legal concerns surrounded the Department of Defense (DoD) Anthrax Vaccine Immunization Program (AVIP) in the early and mid-2000s. Production capacity, patient refusals, and legal injunctions limited vaccine delivery during this time period. Since 2007, the Anthrax Vaccine Adsorbed (AVA) has been administered to all service members deploying to high-risk areas except those medically or administratively exempt. This thesis evaluates the current AVIP in terms of associated risks and benefits. Aggregate data from long-term studies and review by multiple scientific organizations, both within and external to the DoD, suggest that the AVA is both safe and efficacious. The DoD has tailored the current AVIP policy to protect forces with anticipated high exposure risk. This tailored vaccination policy minimizes vaccine-associated risk for individuals and for the force. Current AVIP benefits for individuals and for force protection outweigh the risks. As risks and benefits change over time, ongoing assessment is essential to ensure that individual and force health promotion are optimized. Continuing long-term scientific safety and efficacy research, ongoing educational efforts, and recognition of patient concerns are essential for the continued success of the AVIP and other force protection programs.This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.
