Archives » Monday, October 29, 2007
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David Botti
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Oct 29, 2007 10:49 AM
Back in early 2003 word from my military command that anthrax vaccines were suddenly required meant my unit was probably deploying somewhere. We all knew of the vaccine's controversial nature.
When one Marine said he was refusing to get the shot our command
already seemed prepared to deal with such people—and gave him holy hell
until he relented.
I didn't really care. If I had a bad reaction, I had a bad reaction—if I didn't, I didn't. I just wanted to go to war.
Sunday the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported on one Air Force veteran who doctors say is having a severe neurological reaction to the vaccine:
With his trim runner's build, tight flattop and thin,
muscular arms, Stephen DeGuire does not seem like a man who is unable
to empty the dishwasher, mow the lawn or throw baseballs to his young
sons.
He forgets the names of neighbors he has known for years and
grimaces as he pushes himself into a standing position. His torso tilts
forward as he walks stiffly through his Mequon home. A wooden cane
hangs on a chair in the living room. It is one of a collection that
DeGuire keeps around. He frequently forgets where he puts them.
The article goes on to address an interesting point about benefits
available to veterans afflicted by their reactions to the vaccine:
Disability linked to reaction from the anthrax
vaccine is deemed non-combat-related, meaning veterans like DeGuire are
taxed on their disability payments. The anthrax vaccine is also not
part of the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program, which allows
people who suffered vaccine reactions to collect money for their
disability.
Some experts say the anthrax vaccine is totally safe—others point
to data that says otherwise. It seems there's really no way to prove
it enough for one side to agree with the other. In the meantime
DeGuire himself has fallen through a loophole.
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