A federal court has turned down a class-action lawsuit by eight service members to challenge the armed forces’ mandate that all persons in uniform receive inoculation for anthrax. In a Sept. 29 decision, a three-judge panel with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit rejected two key contentions put forth by the service members. First, they stated that the inoculations – known as Anthrax Vaccine Adsorbed, or ADA – are not proven effective by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and therefore should not be forced upon anyone. Second, they challenged the Defense Department’s practice of not administering the six required inoculations in proper sequence, because of interruptions in the program. The Defense Department has required inoculation with ADA for all military and civilian personnel since 1998. The immunization program was beset temporary halts due to vaccine shortages and legal challenges, but ultimately ordered resumed for good by the FDA in 2005.
