“A presidential ethics panel has opened the door to testing an anthrax vaccine on children as young as infants, bringing an angry response from critics who say the children would be guinea pigs in a study that would never help them and might harm them.”
My heart stopped reading this. This move, proves once again that Obama’s President’s Council on Bioethics isn’t about ethics as we know them.
The anthrax vaccine requires 5 doses plus annual boosters as its protection appears to be short lived, and it is not licensed for post
exposure use. Prophylactically vaccinating the entire population is not currently recommended, nor would it appear to be reasonable course of
action for a theoretical threat, especially given the potential health risks and costs, which the medical literature indicates are significant. Should a release (exposure) occur, antibiotics are reportedly effective in preventing the development of the disease (given for 60 days)
and are a much more tested and safer course of action to protect children, pregnant women and nursing mothers.
Most parents given the facts will probably feel that just because there is no data on this vaccine in children is not sufficient reason to test it on
children.