HILL AIR FORCE BASE, Utah -- The 388th Fighter Wing is in the vanguard of the military's program to immunize its troops against anthrax, and officials say there has been no dissent in the ranks.
Some soldiers at other bases around the country have resisted the vaccine, questioning its safety, but Hill officials say they have experienced no resistance.Anthrax is a deadly biological weapon believed to be in the hands of hostile nations such as Iraq and North Korea. The anthrax vaccine is given in a six-shot series: three in the first two weeks, then more shots at six, 12 and 18 months.
Right now, the vaccine is only given to troops scheduled for a tour in Southwest Asia, where the 388th is regularly dispatched to enforce the no-fly zones over Iraq.
"We don't have enough serum to line everyone in a row and whack 'em with the shots," said Col. Mike Hostage, the 388th's commander. "Eventually, when we've got enough serum, everyone will get the shot."
All military personnel are due to receive the shots by 2006. At Hill, the number of troops beginning the vaccine series is at least in the hundreds, said 388th spokesman Capt. James Wilson.
In the Utah Air National Guard, only seven people have begun the series so far, Lt. Col. Bryan J. Odekirk said.
At Hill's 419th Fighter Wing, a reserve unit, the shots have yet to begin, Capt. Dennis Mehring said.
The anthrax vaccine works the same way as other vaccines: Dead anthrax bacteria are injected into the bloodstream, stimulating the immune system to produce a defense.
The idea of being injected with anthrax, in any form, has sparked some skepticism.
About two dozen Air Guard and Air Force Reserve pilots in Connecticut and California chose to go on inactive status rather than take the shots.
In a highly publicized case last month at Travis Air Force Base, Calif., Airman 1st Class Jeff Bettendorf accepted a discharge under "less than honorable conditions," rather than face a court-martial for refusing the order to accept the anthrax vaccination.
Cynthia Minnick, spokeswoman for the Air Force Surgeon General's Office in Washington, said misinformation about the anthrax vaccine is also being spread on the Internet.