The shiny new methods of “microbial forensics,” touted by the FBI for months as offering a new break in the case, have in fact revealed little or nothing. As the New York Times’ Scott Shane and Eric Lichtblau reveal, “officials admitted that more than 100 people had access to the supply of anthrax that matched…
If the FBI cannot place Ivins at the scene of the crime (the Princeton mailbox) on the required dates, then who cares what sorority houses might be near the mailbox? The sorority angle becomes irrelevant, since he did not mail the letters in Princeton. Remember, this is one of the most complex, expensive cases in…
U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Taylor said at a Justice Department news conference, “We regret that we will not have the opportunity to present evidence to the jury.” Everybody else regrets it too–since what came out today was another pastiche of innuendo and circumstantial evidence, with an awful lot of holes. Time for the FBI to present…
See what power reporting has? It can solidify a tower of Bullshit, or cause it to collapse. The bloggers deserve a lot of credit for transforming the Ivins reportage, via impressive investigations and and logical thinking. Their work may have turned this case from one of conviction by innuendo — into one that will receive…
The NY Times’ Scott Shane and Nicholas Wade are drilling down on the essentials, elaborating on who had access to the particular anthrax found in Ivins’ lab and, purportedly, the letters: But at least 10 scientists had regular access to the laboratory and its anthrax stock — and possibly quite a few more, counting visitors…
Bloggers Larisa Alexandrovna (Raw Story.com) and Glenn Greenwald (Salon.com) beat the major press on Jean Duley’s background. Seems she has an extensive police record including two arrests for DUI since 2006 and a remote drug paraphernalia charge. I suspected as much, having read that she was involved in treating addicts with Suboxone. Many substance abuse…
Scott Shane, who has always done terrific reporting on the anthrax letters story, first at the Baltimore Sun, later at the NY Times, has again hit a home run. His piece, Anthrax Evidence is Said to be Primarily Circumstantial, lays out the kind of case that may be made against Ivins. Unfortunately, the evidence reported…
This am’s Hartford Courant carries a sensible Op-Ed. It ends, Congress should press the Justice Department for a full and public accounting of this case. Forcing the FBI to lay out its evidence against Mr. Ivins is the only way the public can be sure the agency’s methods were reasonable. It’s only fair.
CNN notes, The DNA linked the anthrax used in the mailing to a flask used in Bruce Ivins’ lab at the U.S. Army Medical Institute of Infectious Diseases, said the source, who was not authorized to speak publicly about the case. Maybe so, though I am awfully tired of all these “unauthorized” sources who talk…
The media have reported that some biodefense scientists said Ivins couldn’t produce the powdered anthrax found in the letters, but at least one scientist said he could. One problem is that the public does not know how the letters’ anthrax was produced, nor whether it contained an additive that promoted dispersion. Anthrax is produced in…
From a story in the Frederick News-Post: Duley’s fiance of seven years, Mike McFadden, spoke to The Frederick News-Post on Saturday from their home in Williamsport and provided a statement on her behalf. “Jean is currently at an undisclosed location,” McFadden said. Duley had numerous meetings with the FBI in the past month, McFadden said,…
On the one hand, the Justice Department is considering closing the anthrax letters case this week. On the other hand, the FBI seized computers (and this time with no court order) from the Frederick Public Library this week. Looks like they were in a hurry. Last two times they examined computers they had a court…
Glenn Greenwald has written a nice piece today in Salon.com on journalists, anonymous sources and the anthrax letters case. He discusses Ivins at the beginning and end of his long article.
The AP has reported startling and frightening claims by Dr. Ivins’ therapist Jean Duley in several stories, including one just published by Dishneau and Jordan: Report: Therapist feared scientist poisoned people She claimed, “As far back as the year 2000, the respondent has actually attempted to murder several other people, either through poisoning. He is…
http://www.courant.com/news/local/hc-anthrax0802,0,2705314.story My comments to a reporter were misinterpreted and I want to clarify them. The story says, “Ivins was a civilian working in the Army’s main bioterrorism program. Nass said Ivins always complained about being treated poorly by some of the military personnel.” Bruce did not ever complain to me about being “treated poorly.” I…
A friend put this article into HTML and added some links to the references. I think it is valuable background for understanding the letters case.
Back in 2002, in preparation for an interview on the anthrax letters for “Unsolved Mysteries,” I reviewed the media coverage. As I read article after article, I found that the statements most germane to an understanding of the case were almost entirely unsourced. It was unnerving to conclude that I knew very little about the…
The anthrax letters did not test anyone’s vaccine. For people exposed to the anthrax letters, anthrax vaccine was given in three doses over 4 weeks. It takes about 4-6 weeks after vaccinations start before recipients develop levels of antibodies to anthrax that may be protective. The vaccine’s label even points out that anthrax vaccine is…
For 7 years the Justice Department couldn’t seem to get anything right about the anthrax letters. For years, it harrassed Steven Hatfill, a self-described bodyguard for South African white supremacist Eugene Terrblanche and an unlicensed physician, despite a shocking lack of evidence. He is now $5.8 million richer as a result. But the White House…
By PETE YOST – MARCH 14, 2008 WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge Friday kept alive a lawsuit in which two Connecticut Air National Guard pilots said they were forced to resign nine years ago for refusing to be vaccinated against anthrax. An Air Force panel must spell out the reasons for denying the two…
Problems with Military Vaccines Meryl Nass, MD Although biological warfare is considered a military threat, achieving mass casualties is extremely difficult. Historically, the target has been civilians, not troops. Nonetheless, the Defense Department has undertaken to vaccinate all deploying soldiers to Central Command with anthrax and smallpox vaccines: approximately 1.8 million soldiers have received each…
Federal Judge Collyer last week dismissed a lawsuit challenging Biothrax’s license on the basis that efficacy has not been demonstrated. The suit contended that anthrax vaccine had never been approved for its current intended use, inhalation anthrax. The judge ruled that FDA is, in essence, the arbiter of the science and can interpret the data…
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3510509,00.html Anthrax tests on troops to be conducted ‘strictly under supervision’Aviram ZinoPublished: 02.24.08, 14:19 / Israel News Following deliberation on petition protesting IDF medical experimentation onsoldiers, government announces Ministry of Health to supervise suchexperiments. State officials reported to the High Court of Justice on Sunday that allmedical experiments on IDF soldiers are to be conducted…
w w w . h a a r e t z . c o m Last update – 02:23 20/02/2008 Experiments in full responsibility By Haaretz Editorial The state’s response to a High Court of Justice petition by soldiers who were subjected to medical experiments with anti-anthrax drugs (the experiments known as Omer 2) is…
w w w . h a a r e t z . c o m Last update – 02:14 19/02/2008 Soldiers sue government over harmful anthrax tests By Avirama Golan The state informed the High Court of Justice yesterday that it assumes full responsibility for the treatment of soldiers harmed during the testing of drugs…
Although no significant improvements in drug safety occurred while he was FDA Commissioner from 2002 to 2004, Dr. McClellan now acknowledges the need for improved safety surveillance at FDA, in a commentary in the April 26, 2007 New England Journal of Medicine. This issue contains several articles on FDA assessment of drug safety. Jerry Avorn,…
Wednesday December 12, 2007 Credits Barbara Damon-Day for her “determination to spare other military families distress about possible health risks to their loved ones” Washington, D.C. (Wednesday, December 12, 2007)—U.S. Representative Tom Allen announced today that the House-Senate conference report on the defense authorization bill for Fiscal Year 2008 includes his amendment directing the Department…
Note: despite retiring from the military 17 months ago, John Grabenstein supervised the following study. Also note that a physical exam cannot identify Gulf War Syndrome (this has been widely acknowledged, and is one reason the existence of GWS was denied) or anthrax vaccine side effects 99% of the time–you need specialized tests for both….
This has nothing to do with biological warfare, but I feel compelled to make a few points about this trial anyway. 1. The volunteer subjects who received vaccine were apparently harmed. But did they receive sufficient warning that this could happen? Merck/NIAID will no doubt say it could not have been foreseen (though one article…
The motto of the report is “Serve, Support, Simplify.” Further information on the Commission and report can be found at www.pccww.gov
Former Air Force navigator says neurological reaction has left him disabled By ELLEN GABLERegabler@journalsentinel.com Posted: Oct. 28, 2007 With his trim runner’s build, tight flattop and thin, muscular arms, Stephen DeGuire does not seem like a man who is unable to empty the dishwasher, mow the lawn or throw baseballs to his young sons. He…
Group wants end to Israeli anthrax tests Published: Nov. 1, 2007 at 9:36 AM Font size: JERUSALEM, Nov. 1 (UPI) — A rights group petitioned Israel’s High Court on Thursday to stop the military from performing anthrax vaccine experiments on soldiers. Physicians for Human Rights filed one petition, while a second was filed by a…
Surveillance for Safety After Immunization: Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) — United States, 1991–2001 Surveillance Summaries January 24, 2003 / 52(ss01);1-24 This CDC compilation of adverse event reporting information: www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/ss5201a1.htm – Vol 52, No 1;1 tells us that anthrax vaccine had the highest reporting rate of adverse events for any currently licensed US vaccine,…
To read the questions and answers, click here.
This review compiles all the published guinea pig and mouse studies of Biothrax (aka AVA) anthrax vaccine, and compares it to the British, Russian and livestock anthrax vaccines. Biothrax gave the experimental animals the lowest survival rates compared to the other three vaccines. Click here.
My testimony to the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee was written to answer many persisting questions about these illnesses. It discussed the myths and the facts, while reviewing the recent research on Gulf War Syndrome. I tried to highlight what has been missing from the studies, and provide some ideas on where to go from here….
Let’s explore the reasoning for using anthrax vaccine. It is supposed to protect you against anthrax. No studies of the current vaccine have been done in humans to see if it works, and how well it would work. It works in some animals but not others. But for argument’s sake, let’s assume it works well….
August 29, 2007 Veteran GOP spokeswoman heads to private sector by Jonathan Martin RNC spokeswoman Tracey Schmitt is leaving the comfy confines of First Street S.E. to ply her PR skills in the corporate world. Schmitt, a SoCal native, will serve as director of corporate communications for Emergent BioSolutions, Inc., a Rockville, Md.-based biopharma company…
From 2003: Click here to learn about 3 unusual licensing decisions, which circumvented liability for injuries caused by the following drug and vaccines: Example 1: Pyridostigmine bromide (aka PB or NAPS tablets). Example 2: Smallpox vaccine. Example 3: Anthrax vaccine. “Fully licensed” for the first 520,000 military recipients
CDC, which performed some vaccine tests, acknowledged in 1968 that, “As to the efficacy of the vaccine, we have no real method of determining the protection afforded.” FDA records show that in 1969 the ad hoc committee to license anthrax vaccine found a lack of “scientific evidence for efficacy of the vaccine.” The committee chairman,…
Why is anthrax vaccine still on the market if it is as bad as this website claims? The reason has to do with gross failures of regulation at FDA. The Government Accountability Office said it better than I can, in a March 2006 report: “FDA lacks clear and effective processes for making decisions about, andproviding…
December 24, 2001Dr. D.A. Henderson, Health and Human Services’s director of public health preparedness, said, “If this were a vaccine which… had no associated reactions [and] would work very well, that would be one thing, but this vaccine does have reactions associated with it, so there’s a negative side to it.”
July 28, 2007A secret medical experiment that injected soldiers with the anti-anthrax vaccine, run over eight years beginning in 1998, raises alarming questions about the army authorities’ conduct. To read the rest of the article, click here.
On July 26, 2007 I spoke to the Committee on Veterans Affairs Health Subcommittee about the role of anthrax vaccine in Gulf War illnesses, and the role of the Department of Veterans Affairs in researching, diagnosing, treating and compensating ill veterans. My written testimony is a 9 page summary of the science on anthrax vaccine…
FDA released its compilation of 670 SERIOUS adverse event reports filed with the VAERS system for anthrax vaccine.. This includes 44 deaths that were reported as suspected vaccine-related adverse events. You can review the entire list. Reports that FDA has designated serious comprise 12.5% of the total anthrax vaccine VAERS reports filed. The list is…
The availability of treatments for anthrax after an exposure eliminates the need for pre-exposure vaccination. The National Strategic Stockpile now contains both antiserum and monoclonal antibodies for anthrax, in addition to a range of antibiotics that were added prior to the Project Bioshield acquisitions. General Russell, former commander at Fort Detrick, wrote the following: Clin…
DepSecDef Rudy deLeon testified to Congress on April 13, 2000 that federal agencies were working together to study the long-term effects of anthrax vaccine. Seven years later, where is the study? See National Guard Association report below: Anthrax study conducted as supplies run low “Federal agencies are collaborating in a major study into long-term health…
On June 29, 2007 a Government Accountability Office report was issued regarding the military Vaccine Healthcare Centers, which were formed in 2001 to take care of injuries from anthrax vaccine. They have treated 2,400 ill soldiers, the vast majority for illnesses developing in close proximity to anthrax vaccinations. Page 4 of the report says, “Officials…
There are only two large databases of information on anthrax vaccine and adverse reactions. The first is the Defense Medical Surveillance System (DMSS) database, which the two Institute of Medicine Committees (reporting in 2002 and 2003) studying anthrax vaccine said should be opened to independent researchers, and should receive more resources to better study anthrax…
Joe M. Allbaugh. Mr. Allbaugh was Chief of Staff to President George W. Bush from 1995 through 1999 when he was Governor of Texas. Mr. Allbaugh was later Director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Louis Sullivan, MD. Dr. Sullivan served as Secretary of Health and Human Services in the cabinet of President George H.W….
I compiled selected recommendations of the House Government Reform Committee and seven federal advisory committees that were charged with investigating the vaccine program. These recommendations regard additional, needed research on vaccine safety. Click here for their findings.
This slide is from a DOD presentation to medical providers.
Here is the report in its entirety.
DoD produced and distributed a long memo alleging that both short and long-term safety of anthrax vaccine have been established: “There are no known long-term patterns of side effects from the anthrax vaccine, based on an ongoing series of studies…” I decided to annotate the document to correct many of its errors and omissions.
I discovered the following 3 year old conference presentation on the internet. Information on this syndrome has not been published in the medical literature, nor is information about it available on the VHC website. The recorded presentation is of great interest. Thursday, May 13, 2004 – 11:45 AM5034 Reproducible Prolonged Myalgia Syndrome (RPMS) Following Multiple…
The Congressional Record (HR Rep. No. 106-371 at 254-55) shows that on October 8, 1999 it stated, “The Department[of Defense] is directed to enter into a contract with the National Research Council to independently study the effectiveness and safety of the anthrax vaccine. The following issues shall be considered in the report: the types and…
Navy doctors discuss a case of bronchiolitis obliterans that developed shortly after anthrax vaccination. They ruled out other causes of the condition. Their review was published in a highly regarded pulmonary journal. I am aware of other cases of this potentially devastating illness that developed in close temporal relationship to anthrax vaccine. In this critical…
Congress tried to fix the worst aspects of the anthrax vaccine program, and obtain more reliable information on anthrax vaccine between 1999 and 2002. Congress appears to have failed for two reasons: it does not like to step on DOD’s toes, and it was outsmarted. Congress demanded Vaccine Healthcare Centers Congress likes win-win situations and…
Overall, hospitalizations for mental disorders overall more than doubled after anthrax vaccinations. For servicemembers who received one to three vaccine doses, hospitalization rates for mental illness tripled following vaccination. Hospitalizations for affective psychosis in those who received at least one and less than four doses of vaccine were five times greater than before vaccination. In…
Army statistics provided to Institute of Medicine in 2001 but never published What conditions are found much more often after anthrax vaccinations? The list is surprising, and (unsurprisingly) women are especially affected. This series of 3 tables does not give us the raw data, instead providing data that has been statistically adjusted by the army….
Many (young) soldiers have had heart attacks after anthrax vaccinations. Could the two be related? The Army Medical Surveillance Activity (AMSA) compiled data on over 300,000 recipients of anthrax vaccine, and looked at their rates of heart attacks before and after anthrax vaccinations. This data was shared with the Institute of Medicine in 2001 at…
Medical Associations Investigate Anthrax Vaccine Trial that Sickened Dozens of Soldiers http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/863699.html This is an update on the Israeli vaccine injury situation. The Israeli Medical Association’s ethics bureau will investigate whether “volunteer” soldiers were actually given proper informed consent, guaranteed the most minimum risk as a result of their volunteer participation, and otherwise treated ethically…
Women are Inordinately Harmed by Anthrax Vaccine There is consensus regarding the fact that women have 2 to 3 times the rate of adverse reactions as men. Every study that has looked into this issue has found the same thing. The following four studies were done by 3 groups of different military researchers, and the…
Soldiers from every other country that used anthrax vaccine have had medical problems, although information is limited Meryl Nass, MD May 26, 2007 Israel Dozens of Israeli soldiers who volunteered to take part in classified anthrax vaccine experiments years ago are reportedly still ill as a result, according to Israeli media. Here’s the article: United…
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