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Current Issue | (October 2003)
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Unnecessary Risk Part One
------------------------------------------------------------------ The events that have followed in the wake of the devastating attack on the World Trade Center two years ago fostered a new appreciation of the sacrifices millions of young Americans make by serving in our Armed Forces. From the desolate mountains of Afghanistan to the burning deserts of the Middle East, hundreds of thousands of young American men and women have placed their own lives at risk to ensure the safety of those who remained behind. That they have done so willingly and without hesitation is a testament to their character and patriotism. For this they deserve our thanks and gratitude. But they deserve something else as well. They deserve honesty from the government that has sent them into harm’s way. They deserve candor about the risks they are expected to take. They deserve leaders who ensure that the risks they face are necessary. In at least one instance, however, they clearly are not getting what they deserve. Months ago, this newsletter warned about the dangers our soldiers might face from the untested vaccines they were being forced to take. There are growing signs that these potential dangers are now becoming a reality. What is worse, though, is that the military continues to refuse to acknowledge these dangers. On April 4, 2003 Rachel Lacy, a 22 year-old Army reservist living in Chicago died after receiving mandatory vaccinations for anthrax and smallpox. She had been preparing for deployment to Iraq when she suddenly developed what was described as a pneumonia-like illness that killed her. The military insists there is no connection, but the coroner who performed her autopsy and the Mayo Clinic disagree. On March 26, 2003, a 55 year-old National Guardsman died six days after receiving the smallpox vaccine. Again, the military says there is no connection. On March 27, 2003 Virginia Jorgensen, a health worker in St. Petersburg, Florida died from a heart attack after being vaccinated for smallpox. On March 23, 2003, an unidentified nurse from Maryland suffered fatal heart problems five days after being vaccinated for smallpox. Nine other nurses vaccinated at the time also suffered heart problems. At least 10 cases of myocarditis, or inflammation of the heart muscle have been reported among vaccine recipients by the military, and 17 have been diagnosed among civilians who were vaccinated. It should be noted that myocarditis can be caused be either an infection or an allergic reaction. Even as these deaths and adverse events were occurring in the U.S., something else was happening in Iraq. Next Page |
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