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VACCINE
SAFE
“Let
your families know the vaccination is necessary...it is safe...it
is effective” — CN, VADM Chris Ritchie
| “We
realise that when confronted with taking a vaccine with
which they are not familiar and which is not in widespread
use in Australia, they may have some concerns about
its safety.” AIRCDRE Austin |
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Service
personnel deploying to the Middle East are being vaccinated against
Anthrax as part of their preparation for possible exposure to biological
agents.
These vaccinations are part of Defence’s duty of care to members
and anyone who does not accept the vaccination is not deployable
to that theatre of operation.
This does not preclude deployment to other operational theatres
and will not result in any administrative action against the member.
CDF GEN Peter Cosgrove said there was no punishment for refusing
a voluntary vaccination.
“We will strive to convince the few to join the vast majority
who have received this as a necessary adjunct to deployment,”
he said.
“We will look to convince those people that this is not only
safe and reasonable but necessary. If we fail to convince them,
then they will be brought home and re-employed in some other way.
“The bottom line ... is that we must make sure they [deployed
personnel] are safe and that the integrity of our teams and missions
can be met.”
Commonwealth Chief Medical Officer Prof Richard Smallwood said studies
had shown the vaccine to be safe and effective.
“The US Institute of Medicine found last year there was no
long-term deleterious effect from use of the vaccine,” he said.
Director-General Defence Health AIRCDRE Tony Austin said the primary
concern from a health perspective had always been, and remained,
the well being of ADF members.
“A decision as to what types of protective measures we use
is the culmination of an enormous amount of work in identifying
the occupational, environmental and operational threats they may
be exposed to during a particular military activity,” he said.
“We have a whole range of tools available to us to define the
nature of those threats, their severity and ramifications.
“Once the threats have been identified, we try to neutralise,
modify or ameliorate the adverse effects.”
In the case of Op Bastille the ADF conducted a comprehensive threat
assessment on the likelihood of members being exposed to Anthrax.
Anthrax is a potentially lethal disease with serious consequences
for anyone infected, particularly if they are unaware of the infection.
“The most effective mechanism available to us to protect our
men and women is the use of the Anthrax vaccine.”
Anthrax vaccines being dispensed by the ADF originate from either
the UK or the USA, where they are licensed for use by the respective
health authorities.
These vaccines are not widely in use in Australia because of the
low incidence of the disease here.
“The demand for the vaccine here is extremely low - certain
professional groups may be at risk but it isn’t an issue for
the broader community.
“The vaccines have, however, been extensively used overseas
in a military and civilian context.
“Like all vaccines, there is some degree of side effects but
these are usually mild and in no way different to what you would
see with routine vaccinations.”
AIRCDRE Austin said the incidence of long-term side effects from
the vaccines was extremely low.
“Unfortunately, there seem to have been rumours circulating
of serious side effects, such as a detrimental effect on the reproductive
system.
“We’ve searched the international literature as widely
as we can and we can find absolutely no references to this being
a complication in the use of Anthrax vaccine.”
Every service member is entitled to ADF medical care but no member
is compelled to receive any health care against his or her will.
“Being mindful of the psychological well being of our people,
we realise that when confronted with taking a vaccine with which
they are not familiar and which is not in widespread use in Australia,
they may have some concerns about its safety.
“This is a perfectly reasonable reaction, so we decided to
put together a comprehensive briefing package to ensure they received
extensive education about the vaccine before they were invited to
receive it.
“If, after absorbing the information about the vaccine, the
member does not wish to take it, he or she will not be compelled
to do so.”
More information is available from the Defence web page on the Internet
at www.defence.gov.au.
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