| COMMUNITY |
| Message Boards Chat Feedback |
| SITE SOURCES |
| Contents Help! Search CNN Networks |
| SPECIALS |
| Quick News Almanac Video Vault News Quiz |
|
Pentagon recalls 200,000 anthrax vaccines destined for Gulf
March 6, 1998
A soldier is vaccinated in December
Web posted at: 10:40 a.m. EST (1540 GMT)WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A shipment of 200,000 doses of anthrax vaccine destined for U.S. troops in the Persian Gulf was stopped because it apparently had frozen during shipment, destroying its effectiveness, CNN has learned.
At $3.50 per dose, the shipment is valued at some $700,000, defense officials said. It is not clear when the temperature change took place.
The problem was discovered about two weeks ago. Another shipment of 200,000 doses was sent shortly thereafter to replace the damaged batch, so the inoculation of troops in the Gulf could take place on schedule, to protect them against the potentially lethal germ-warfare agent.
The first in a series of shots is to be administered to troops next week.
Inhaling anthrax spores can cause death within a week unless the victim has been vaccinated Officials, speaking on the condition they not be named, said the vaccines were shipped from Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, to Germany en route to the Middle East.
In Germany, someone noticed that at least one of the 20,000 vials had suffered a radical temperature change, apparently freezing and rendering the doses useless.
Army Surgeon Lt. Gen. Ronald Blanck sent specialists to Germany to examine the shipment to see if any of it could be salvaged. The results of their examination are not yet available, the officials said.
CNN Military Affairs Producer Chris Plante contributed to this report.
Related stories:
- U.S. troops in Gulf 1st to get anthrax vaccine - March 3, 1998
- Inhaled anthrax can be 'devastating' - February 19, 1998
- The case for diplomacy: Damage, destruction and doubts - February 17, 1998
- All U.S. troops to get anthrax vaccine - December 15, 1997
- Anthrax: An agent of doom - December 15, 1997
Related sites:
Note: Pages will open in a new browser window
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
- News About Chemical and Biological Agents and Threats
- GulfLINK - Gulf War Illnesses Home Page
External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.
|
Sound off on our message boards & chat |
|
© 1998 Cable News Network, Inc.
A Time Warner Company
All Rights Reserved.