Soldier Falls Ill After Taking Vaccine Shots
KOCO-TV, Altus OK
An Oklahoma National Guard soldier says he faces mounting medical costs and is too sick to work because of a severe reaction he suffered to a battery of vaccines he was given in preparation for deployment to Iraq.
Spc. Kent Stewart, 37, of Alva, received the anthrax vaccine along with other members of his unit, the 45th Field Artillery Brigade, in February 2003 as they prepared for deployment to Iraq.
He said he began experiencing severe headaches. On March 15 he received the second series of shots. The third series followed April 4. He suffered dizziness and tingling on the left side of his face and in his hands and legs.
On May 27, the unit received notice their orders had been canceled. Stewart received his fourth round of the vaccine on Dec. 7, 2003. Vomiting, weight loss, insomnia, and other symptoms started, including pancreatic problems. Each episode required treatment with antibiotics and other medications to ease the symptoms.
On Aug. 15, 2004, he received his fifth and last immunization. His condition worsened until he was hospitalized Nov. 22, and placed on intravenous antibiotics for a week. Stewart's doctor, Tarek Naguib, said the immunizations are a suspected cause of Stewart's medical problems.
Col. Pat Scully, the Oklahoma National Guard spokesman, said he was not familiar with Stewart's case but said there should be treatment Stewart can pursue through the military medical system.
"I've been through the series of anthrax shots and have had no problem but that doesn't mean the soldier doesn't have a valid complaint," Scully said.
About one person in 100,000 has a serious adverse reaction to the vaccine, according to the Pentagon.
The military now gives the vaccine to soldiers only on a volunteer basis after a judge found fault in the Food and Drug Administration's process for approving the drug. Previously, hundreds of people were kicked out of the military for refusing the shots out of safety concerns.
Stewart said the injections were mandatory when he took them. He said he was told that he would be given a dishonorable discharge or a bad conduct dismissal if he were to refuse.
"I felt the shots weren't going to be doing any good," he said. "I didn't personally think there was that big a threat."
An Oklahoma National Guard soldier says he faces mounting medical costs and is too sick to work because of a severe reaction he suffered to a battery of vaccines he was given in preparation for deployment to Iraq.
Spc. Kent Stewart, 37, of Alva, received the anthrax vaccine along with other members of his unit, the 45th Field Artillery Brigade, in February 2003 as they prepared for deployment to Iraq.
He said he began experiencing severe headaches. On March 15 he received the second series of shots. The third series followed April 4. He suffered dizziness and tingling on the left side of his face and in his hands and legs.
On May 27, the unit received notice their orders had been canceled. Stewart received his fourth round of the vaccine on Dec. 7, 2003. Vomiting, weight loss, insomnia, and other symptoms started, including pancreatic problems. Each episode required treatment with antibiotics and other medications to ease the symptoms.
On Aug. 15, 2004, he received his fifth and last immunization. His condition worsened until he was hospitalized Nov. 22, and placed on intravenous antibiotics for a week. Stewart's doctor, Tarek Naguib, said the immunizations are a suspected cause of Stewart's medical problems.
Col. Pat Scully, the Oklahoma National Guard spokesman, said he was not familiar with Stewart's case but said there should be treatment Stewart can pursue through the military medical system.
"I've been through the series of anthrax shots and have had no problem but that doesn't mean the soldier doesn't have a valid complaint," Scully said.
About one person in 100,000 has a serious adverse reaction to the vaccine, according to the Pentagon.
The military now gives the vaccine to soldiers only on a volunteer basis after a judge found fault in the Food and Drug Administration's process for approving the drug. Previously, hundreds of people were kicked out of the military for refusing the shots out of safety concerns.
Stewart said the injections were mandatory when he took them. He said he was told that he would be given a dishonorable discharge or a bad conduct dismissal if he were to refuse.
"I felt the shots weren't going to be doing any good," he said. "I didn't personally think there was that big a threat."
