Anthrax Vaccination :: essays research papers

The anthrax inoculation is the only known defence mechanism available for United States Troops against thedeadly anthrax virus. Many experts deliver said it is not effective against inhalation anthrax. Studies put one overnot been decisive in their findings. The chance of living if you have received the anthrax vaccinationseems better. More studies should be conducted outside the Department of Defense, with theircooperation, before the process to immunise force continues.splenic fever is a disease normally associated with plant feeding animals (sheep, goats, and cattle) caused bythe bacterium Bacillius anthracis. It is now controlled through vaccination programs throughout the human race including the United States. Human infection with anthrax usually results from contact withinfected animals or products. Anthrax was discovered by Robert Koch in 1876. An effective vaccinum foranimals was developed in 1881 by Louis Pasteur. In humans, the disease appears in two external an dinternal forms. The external form is con pathwayed through cuts and breaks in the skin. The internal form iscaught by inhaling anthrax spores, which invade the lungs and intestinal tract (Funk and Wagnalls NewEncyclopedia, 1996).Russian scientists have created a new form of the anthrax virus by genetic engineering. Col. ArthurFriedlander , chief of the bacteriology division at the U.S. forces Medical Research Institute states, Theevidence that they presented suggested that it could be resistant to our vaccinum (Riechman, Army Times03-09-98). When anthrax is used as a biological weapon, people become infected by breathing thespores released in the air. Anthrax is 100,000 times deadlier than the deadliest chemical warf ar agent. Itis the preferred biological agent because it is voiced to produce in bulk and the materials are low in cost.(B.D.Hawkins,Army Times) Dr. Jose Ramero Cruz, of the sphere Health Organization states,Becauseanthrax spores are resistant to dryness and heat, they are relatively easy to grind and store. U.S. officialssay that as galore(postnominal) as 12 countries including Russia, Iraq, and North Korea, have established capabilities toproduce and appoint deadly anthrax spores into weapons (D.Funk, Army Times, 3-19-98). An anthrax loaded scud missile could kill 100,000 people in an urban area according to a 1993 study, Proliferationof Weapons of Mass Destruction Assessing the Risks, (J. Erlich, Army Times, 9-8-97). No country isknown to have released the biological agent during wartime. Anthrax has the potential to cover largeareas of the battlefield. It is not known what branch of service, front line, or rear area troops would be atgreater risks. Defense Secretary William Cohen stated, Anthrax is the shortsighted mans atomic bomb (D.