Leaky Waders said:
I still doubt very much that the events occured exactly like you said. You're saying that some people refused to get vaccinated...and I'm assuming that they were still in your unit. There wasn't some mass exodus via NJP, Article 15's because they refused the immunization.
Also, you were not used in an expirement. Informed consent is a big part of military medicine.
The events happened just as I recounted it. Yes, some declined the vaccination. I guess command decided actually ordering us to accept it was too much of a stretch. So while it remained "voluntary", our Battalion sick bay used what would be viewed as unethical tactics to persuade us to get it. You're not telling me that were an insurance company to use this approach in the private sector there wouldn't be massave lawsuits, loss of state licenses to do business, and possibly even jailtime for those involved?
No, there was no mass exodus through NJPs or Article 15's. There were sufficient numbers who refused that to do that it would affected a large amount of the deployable unit. I was among those who initially refused. Not until after I deployed, and had enough time to actually
ask others about this vaccine, did I and many others go back to Battalion sick bay and receive it.
You may not term it an experiment. But the fact remains that this was a drug not approved by the FDA. I'm not even sure it still is. Anyone in the private medical community sector would frown upon this process. This wasn't a distilled or watered down approach by our Corpsmen. Our Battalion medical CO, I believe he was an 0-3 or 0-4, handled this process. He delivered the seminar, and the speech.
Leaky Waders said:
What they were probably trying to convey is...that Japanese encephalitis is a viral illness that has the potential to cause serious disease or even death in some people. The risk of problems associated with the vaccine are much lower than the risk of the disease itself. Since the disease is a virus - there is no real treatment for it - only supportive treatment.
And you know what? I would have been fine with that. But after we were told it was in fact a virus, and there was little that could be done if we contracted it, we were given a period to time to ask questions. We got vaccinations for the plague, flu, and many other common illnesses found outside the domestic US, and we weren't given the opportunity to say "yes, we want it", or "No thank you." I'm not sure if you ever served, but you have to understand this is a highly unusual way to go through a battalion vaccination cycle. During flu vaccinations the only question asked is, "are you allergic to pork or eggs?" If not, "OK - line up over there and roll up your sleeve."
When we asked what would happen if we said we didn't want it, we were told we'd be on our own for treatment. If we were told, "the death rate is very high, and although there is some risk with taking a vaccine that hasn't been through FDA trials, we still we recommend you take the vaccination. If you get sick we'll take care of you as best we can, but there's really nothing the medical community can do if you get it," I'd have been fine with that. I'm frankly surprised you don't see it the same way.
My point is not to discuss this specific incident. My point was to illustrate that there are many things that go on in the military that fly in the face of convention, and simply would not be permitted to occur in the private sector. This was one of them.
If I could be strong-armed and coerced into taking drugs not FDA-approved, any other rights I might have as a citizen of the US mean nothing. My guns I can replace. I only have one body, and I've got to make it last for the duration.
