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Kitty Hawk begins anthrax vaccinations

Journalist 1st Class (SW) Ryan Bell, USS Kitty Hawk public affairs

Posted 01/27/2003

USS KITTY HAWK, At Sea (NNS) -- USS Kitty Hawk's (CV 63) medical department is currently conducting anthrax vaccinations for the ship's crew.

According to Kitty Hawk's senior medical officer Cmdr. Kris Belland, the anthrax vaccine is one layer of a multilayer system designed to protect service members from the potentially fatal effects of the anthrax bacteria, should they be exposed during a biological attack.

Belland says the use of bio-detectors to warn of the presence of a biological attack, the donning of proper personnel protective equipment and the use of antibiotics to treat persons who become exposed to anthrax, form the other three layers of defense against anthrax.

The vaccination consists of a series of six shots given over a period of 18 months.

According to Belland, the anthrax vaccine is not experimental. It was licensed by the Food and Drug Administration in 1970 and has been used to immunize veterinarians and lab workers for decades, including 2.1 million doses to more than 500,000 people in the past four years alone.

Belland said it is important for people to know that the vaccine cannot cause anthrax. The vaccine is made up of dead DNA and RNA compounds that are found in anthrax. Exposure to those compounds causes the body to build resistance to them, and therefore, to the anthrax bacteria.

"The threat is a very deadly and real threat -- and increasing. Some of our known enemies have anthrax as a weapon, and we believe that they would use it against us. You need to know that we do care very much about each and every one of our Sailors," Belland said. "This is a very safe, very effective vaccine."