DOD’s mandatory anthrax immunization program has started up again after being shut down in 2004 by a US District Court judge. The program resumed Oct. 16 for military and DOD civilian personnel deployed to US Central Command areas of responsibility and South Korea, William Winkenwerder, assistant secretary of health affairs, told reporters Monday. The FDA issued its “final” final order approving the immunization program late last year, but the legal situation prompted the Pentagon to keep the program on a voluntary basis—until Monday.
The U.K. and the U.S. will continue to enjoy access to the ports, airfield, and workshops at Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean for at least another century, under a deal inked between the U.K. and Mauritius May 22.