European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - March 17, 2007, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Saturday March 17 2007 stars and stripes pages Navy families in s Korea May opt for anthrax shots by Jeff Schogol stars and stripes Arlington fam ily members of sailors and marines stationed on the korean pen insula May choose to get the anthrax vaccine the Navy has announced the Navy released new guid Ance on anthrax shots in a recent Navy administrative message while the shots Are voluntary for family members the Navy can compel them to get vaccinated in cases of emergencies according to an email from the Navy Bureau of Medicine and surgery in response to questions under certain Public health provisions and emergencies the Navy can require individuals to receive a vaccine As a condition of remaining on a Navy installation or being allowed to enter or leave a Navy installation according to bumped the Nav admin also says sail ors and marines in Japan will be required to get anthrax vaccinations sailors who previously received anthrax vaccine can elect to continue to Complete their Ini tial series receive their an Nual Booster according to an emailed response to questions from the Navy Bureau of medi Cine and surgery the Nav admin says the Fol lowing sailors and marines will also have to get the anthrax shots us Pacific command Forward deployed naval forces and Iii Marine expeditionary Force As signed or designated As Early de players up to 20 Days after the Start of the flow of forces to the korean Peninsula the Navy said the move would affect sailors on ships forwarded played to Japan including the aircraft Carrier uss Kitty Hawk with a Crew of sailors and an additional 2000 air Crew the amphibious assault ship uss Essex with a Crew of 950 and the capacity to hold 1073 troops the Cruiser uss Shiloh with a Crew of 387 the destroyer uss Curtis Wilbur with a Crew of 303 the move would not affect most sailors in Guam said Navy spokeswoman it Ligia Cohen the sailors in Guam Are not considered Forward deployed except a few units with special mis Sions Cohen said in a thursday email to stars and stripes the Marine corps would not say thursday How Many marines on Okinawa would have to get the anthrax regimen asked if All Iii me marines would be required to get vaccinated for anthrax a corps official would Only say the corps plans to Issue specific guidelines on the vaccination program in an upcoming Marine administrative Mes Sage last year the defense depart ment made anthrax vaccinations mandatory again for us troops and some department civilians serving in the us Central com Mand theater of operations and on the korean Peninsula the defense department began vaccinating troops against anthrax in 1998 but a Federal judge stopped the program in the dosing schedule a Dos sche the cd licensed anthrax vaccine schedule Calls for doses to be administered according to the following schedule first dose 2 weeks later 4 weeks later 6 months later 8 months later months later annual Booster thereafter source  stars and stripes under certain Public health provisions and emergencies the Navy can require individuals to receive a vaccine As a condition of remaining on a Navy installation or being allowed to enter or leave a Navy installation Navy Bureau of Medicine and surgery statement 2004 after finding the food and drug administration made mis takes in determining that the vac Cine was Safe the judge allowed the defense department to administer the vaccinations on a voluntary basis be ginning in 2005 but when Only half of service members decided to get vaccinated the defense department made the vaccinations mandatory again for troops head ing to the Cen com area of operations and Korea under the navys new policy pregnant women will Only receive the vaccine in unusual circumstances if the potential Bene fits of the vaccination outweigh the potential risks to the fetus the Nav admin says the Nav admin recommends asking women the following ques Tion before they Are vaccinated Are you pregnant or is there a Chance you could become preg Nant during the next month the query is a Standard ques Tion posed to female servicemen Bers and civilians before they Are vaccinated not a Way of asking if women Are sexually Active according to bumped the question is necessary to in form women and providers of the possibility of becoming preg Nant the bumped statement says this offers a higher level of Protection to the female and a potential fetus for More information see Nav admin at  email Jeff Schogol at vaccination timeline 1998 defense department starts a program of inoculating troops with the anthrax vaccine june 2001 inoculating troops temporarily suspended because of a Lack of anthrax vaccine when the manufacturer Bio port changed its manufacturing process without approval by the food and drug administration june 2002 defense department resumes inoculating troops after Fra approves vaccine and manufacturing process lifting the temporary suspension from a year earlier december 2003 a Federal judge bars the Dod from administering the vaccine after six Anonymous former service members file a lawsuit claiming the 1970smade vaccine was approved by the Fra to protect against the skin form of anthrax and not against inhaled anthrax january judge reverses his injunction after the Justice department produces documentation showing the Fra issued a finding that the vaccine was in fact intended to guard against both the skin and inhaled forms of anthrax october courts bar the defense department from making the vaccine mandatory citing mistakes in How the Fra determined the safety of the vaccine april 2005 the judge amends his order allowing the department to administer the vaccine on an emergency use basis but solely on a voluntary basis troops could refuse shots without reprisal the ruling also requires anyone receiving the vaccine first to be warned of possible Side effects and made aware of questions surrounding the effectiveness december 2005 Fra deems the anthrax vaccine is both Safe and effective october 2006 the defense department makes anthrax vaccinations mandatory for us troops and emergency essential Dod civilians and contractors serving in the us Central command area of responsibility and on the korean Peninsula for 15 Days or More february pentagons top health official approves each services plans to resume mandatory anthrax vaccinations for troops on the korean Peninsula and in the us Central command theater of operations stars and stripes at wounded Warrior Center Healing is marines Only duty by Tony Perry los Angeles times Camp Pendleton Calif if building 18 at Walter Reed army medical Center represents the Nadir of outpatient care for wounded military personnel the Marine corps is hoping that a former maternity Ward Here represents the opposite at the 25bed wounded Warrior Center opened in August injured marines and sailors live mostly in woman rooms that Are freshly painted and furnished a recreation room and dining room Are just Down the Hall medical Case managers from the Marine Cor Sand veterans affairs arrive frequently to Check on each patients Progress last week one of the Walls was nicked it was repaired the next Day transportation is provided to therapy appoint ments someone is on duty 24 hours a Day in Case a Marine or Sailor has an emergency some rooms have been designed for wheelchairs every room has a television and Small refrigerator unlike other Barracks the wounded Warrior Cen Ter does not require marines to stand watch or do other chores your sole Job while youre Here is to get better said staff sgt Logan Ballew 27 who suffered leg and brain injuries in August while deployed to a Madi Iraq As an explosive ordnance disposal technician most of the marines and sailors like Ballew have undergone multiple surgeries in Iraq and then at a us Hospital in Germany and the National naval medical Center in Bethesda my Ballew also was a brain injury patient at the veterans affairs Hospital in Palo Alto Calif Ive had to learn to walk again he said Ballew is making Good Progress he no longer needs his colostomy bag the Center is also the duty station for personnel whose Job is to track All wounded marines and sail ors As they move through the complexities of a medi Cal system that includes military hospitals a Hospi tals and private healthcare providers we use every tool we can to make sure nobody Falls through the cracks said it col Paul Swan son officer in charge of the Center Don staff sgt Logan Ballew watches to with other injured marines including Cpl Jackson Luna right who was the first Marine to move into wounded Warrior Center in Camp Pendleton Calif