Michigan Death Linked to Anthrax
by AMY FRANKLIN
Associated Press Writer
LANSING, Mich. (AP) -- A 61-year-old man whose job required him to take 11 doses of a widely used anthrax vaccine died partly because of an ''inflammatory response'' to the vaccine, according to autopsy results.
Richard Dunn monitored test animals for BioPort Corp. and its state-owned predecessor and was required to take the same vaccine given to hundreds of thousands of U.S. military personnel. He died in July.
Ionia County Chief Medical Examiner Robert Joyce said Dunn's response to the vaccine contributed to his death. Joyce has refused to release his findings to BioPort or to The Associated Press.
Pathologist Stephen Cohle, who performed the autopsy, said Dunn died of ventricular arrhythmia -- an inflammation of the arteries that supply blood to heart. He said it was unclear whether that inflammation was caused by the vaccine, and he disagreed with Joyce's conclusion.
''You can't definitively link it,'' Cohle said. ''I don't think one can make a statement that strong at this point -- or ever.''
The military said 487,098 people have received 1.9 million doses of the vaccine through last week. About 400 military personnel, worried about the impact on their health, have resigned or faced discipline rather than take the vaccine.
Pentagon spokesman Kenneth Bacon said the Defense Department has requested a copy of the Dunn autopsy results. The Armed Forces Institute of Pathology and Food and Drug Administration are investigating, but the anthrax vaccination program for U.S. troops will continue, Bacon said.
The military and FDA say the vaccine is safe, with side effects typical of many common vaccines. Critics say a long-term study is needed.
Dunn, an employee since 1992, received 11 doses, the last one in April. A month later, he complained of fatigue and swelling, BioPort personnel director Mike Tanner said.
The company's doctors determined his symptoms had no connection to the vaccine, Tanner said.
The company said it was ''puzzled and stunned'' by the findings.
''This is information we absolutely need to look into and don't take lightly,'' BioPort spokeswoman Kelly Rossman McKinney said.
Bob Kramer, the company's chief executive officer, said Dunn's death certificate lists the immediate cause of death as ventricular arrhythmia and makes no reference to an underlying cause.
''Those of us who work here are confident that there is no connection between his death and the anthrax vaccine,'' Kramer said.
Company officials expect tissue samples taken from Dunn to be turned over to national medical authorities for further review.
BioPort is the sole producer of the U.S. military's vaccine to combat the deadly biological weapon possessed by an estimated 10 nations.
Workers at the Lansing labs have taken the vaccine for 30 years. A person receives six shots in the first 18 months and then an annual booster shot. Company nurse Condalee Decker said the most serious reaction among employees has been a severe headache.
BioPort bought the former state-owned Michigan Biologic Products Institute in 1998 but has been unable to make new vaccine while waiting for federal approval of its renovated labs.
Earlier this month, it recalled three of its products -- including some doses of the military's anthrax vaccine -- over labeling and contamination concerns.
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freedom is not free
by AMY FRANKLIN
Associated Press Writer
LANSING, Mich. (AP) -- A 61-year-old man whose job required him to take 11 doses of a widely used anthrax vaccine died partly because of an ''inflammatory response'' to the vaccine, according to autopsy results.
Richard Dunn monitored test animals for BioPort Corp. and its state-owned predecessor and was required to take the same vaccine given to hundreds of thousands of U.S. military personnel. He died in July.
Ionia County Chief Medical Examiner Robert Joyce said Dunn's response to the vaccine contributed to his death. Joyce has refused to release his findings to BioPort or to The Associated Press.
Pathologist Stephen Cohle, who performed the autopsy, said Dunn died of ventricular arrhythmia -- an inflammation of the arteries that supply blood to heart. He said it was unclear whether that inflammation was caused by the vaccine, and he disagreed with Joyce's conclusion.
''You can't definitively link it,'' Cohle said. ''I don't think one can make a statement that strong at this point -- or ever.''
The military said 487,098 people have received 1.9 million doses of the vaccine through last week. About 400 military personnel, worried about the impact on their health, have resigned or faced discipline rather than take the vaccine.
Pentagon spokesman Kenneth Bacon said the Defense Department has requested a copy of the Dunn autopsy results. The Armed Forces Institute of Pathology and Food and Drug Administration are investigating, but the anthrax vaccination program for U.S. troops will continue, Bacon said.
The military and FDA say the vaccine is safe, with side effects typical of many common vaccines. Critics say a long-term study is needed.
Dunn, an employee since 1992, received 11 doses, the last one in April. A month later, he complained of fatigue and swelling, BioPort personnel director Mike Tanner said.
The company's doctors determined his symptoms had no connection to the vaccine, Tanner said.
The company said it was ''puzzled and stunned'' by the findings.
''This is information we absolutely need to look into and don't take lightly,'' BioPort spokeswoman Kelly Rossman McKinney said.
Bob Kramer, the company's chief executive officer, said Dunn's death certificate lists the immediate cause of death as ventricular arrhythmia and makes no reference to an underlying cause.
''Those of us who work here are confident that there is no connection between his death and the anthrax vaccine,'' Kramer said.
Company officials expect tissue samples taken from Dunn to be turned over to national medical authorities for further review.
BioPort is the sole producer of the U.S. military's vaccine to combat the deadly biological weapon possessed by an estimated 10 nations.
Workers at the Lansing labs have taken the vaccine for 30 years. A person receives six shots in the first 18 months and then an annual booster shot. Company nurse Condalee Decker said the most serious reaction among employees has been a severe headache.
BioPort bought the former state-owned Michigan Biologic Products Institute in 1998 but has been unable to make new vaccine while waiting for federal approval of its renovated labs.
Earlier this month, it recalled three of its products -- including some doses of the military's anthrax vaccine -- over labeling and contamination concerns.
------------------
freedom is not free