My article this week talks about bioterrorism and the possible health threat. Anthrax is an infection caused by an toxin-producing bacteria which is easy to produce and life threatening. The Obama administration is currently trying to decide if they should inject babies with a vaccine that would cure bioterrorism or wait until the attack happens and then give the vaccine to the children. There is the question of waiting until the time has come or being equipped to handle the situation before it arises. However parents are taken aback by the vaccine, as they should be because the vaccine hasn’t been tested on small children. Aside from the fact that the vaccine has been given to 2.6 million people in the military, will the kids be able to handle this type of vaccine?
Bioterrorism, as it relates to health is a type of terrorism in which bacteria, toxins, and viruses are released for the purposes of harming individuals. With the current government in Iraq as well as the 9/11 attack’s putting many Americans in fear bioterrorism as well as terrorism is something the government wants to keep away from the civilians. There are vaccines that are effective for this type of terrorism however when kids become involved everyone is a bit more skeptical. Parents may not want their kids to become guinea pigs for a vaccine but the fact is there has to be test done. There would be no need to wait until the last minute if an attack is done with everyone in a panic to get the vaccine. On a broader scale however, terrorism is a global problem currently and the health and safety of everyone is at risk. This issue has been seen as a problem as early as the 1970s but the urgency to create solutions has heightened since the recent terrorist activities going on. There is also the issue of how would we get this particular health care to other countries that aren’t as well off. The solution that we should be trying to come up with is how to get the vaccine available to everyone worldwide.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/possible-study-of-anthrax-vaccines-effectiveness-in-children-stirs-debate/2011/10/13/gIQAFWLdDM_story.html
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9716981http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthrax
2 comments:
I can understand the countries concern about the terrorism. But if I was a parent and it was my child getting tested on I would not be okay with that. They may need to find other solutions instead of testing on babies and humans with a vaccine.
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