| WASHINGTON, June 23, 2006 – The Defense
Department has no plans to discontinue its
smallpox vaccination program, despite yesterday's
announcement that vaccinations may have caused a
soldier's death.
A panel of military doctors concluded that
vaccinations may have caused the death of Army
Pfc. Christopher "Justin" Abston.
Abston received the smallpox and injectable
influenza vaccines in November at Fort Bragg,
N.C., and died suddenly in his barracks room 16
days later, on Dec. 4, Pentagon officials said.
His autopsy revealed an inflammation of the
heart muscle, or "myocarditis." The smallpox
vaccine is one of several known triggers of this
condition. Evidence of another known trigger for
the condition was found during the autopsy.
"Evidence of the vaccinia virus, the main
ingredient of smallpox vaccine, was not found in
his heart muscle, but evidence of a different
virus, parvovirus B19, was found," a Defense
Department release stated. "Natural infection with
parvovirus B19 is another known cause of heart
inflammation and death."
A panel of military medical experts determined
it is "neither probable nor unlikely," merely
"possible," that vaccinations caused Abston's
death.
Abston is the only servicemember whose death
has been linked to the smallpox vaccine. Of 1
million servicemembers vaccinated through the
program, 120 developed myocarditis or similar
conditions, but all others survived.
DoD initiated the smallpox vaccination program
in December 2002 to protect servicemembers from
the highly contagious smallpox disease, Air Force
Lt. Col. Ellen Krenke, a Pentagon spokeswoman,
told American Forces Press Service. The program is
used to protect troops assigned to U.S. Central
Command, U.S. Forces Korea, or designated units
with homeland defense missions.
"The smallpox vaccine has been given billions
of times to Americans and people all over the
world in the last century," Krenke said. Hundreds
of studies have assessed the vaccine, and DoD will
continue to monitor the safety of the smallpox
vaccine and all other vaccines it uses to protect
servicemembers, she said.
Dr. William Winkenwerder, assistant secretary
of defense for health affairs, expressed
condolences to Abston's family and regret about
his death. "Medicine remains an inexact science,"
he said. "And when we lose one of our soldiers, we
recognize how much about medicine that we still do
not know." | 