Government considers testing anthrax vaccine on children
26 October 2011
The U.S. government is considering testing its anthrax vaccine on children to determine if it has any potential side effects; so far the government's anthrax vaccine has only been tested on adults and members of the National Biodefense Science Board argued that there had been no tests to determine the effectiveness of the vaccine on children; opponents of the suggestion have sharply criticized it on the grounds that it is unethical to test a vaccine on children especially if there is no immediate threat; proponents of testing the vaccine acknowledged the criticism, but maintained that it was critical to ensure the safety of the vaccine on children in the event that it had to be administered; the board is set to meet again on Friday to vote on its controversial recommendation.
[...]So far the anthrax vaccine has been thoroughly tested on adults and more than 2.6 million members of the armed forces have been inoculated, but the government lacks data on how well the vaccine works on children and if it is safe.
Opponents of the suggestion have sharply criticized it on the grounds that it is unethical to test a vaccine on children especially if there is no immediate threat...
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