BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, DECEMBER 15, 1997) JOIE CHEN, CNN ANCHOR: U.S. military men and women standing watch around the world right now face a mounting threat from biological and chemical warfare. The every-increasing likelihood of such an attack prompts new, extraordinary steps to protect the nation's soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines.</s>JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN MILITARY AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: And it was known that Iraq was developing Anthrax spores for possible use in biological weapons. So, although they had considered in the past vaccinating all the troops, it was not done because of the expense. But, in 1997, the judgment of the Pentagon was that the threat had increased to a point where it made sense for all U.S. troops to be vaccinated against the deadly Anthrax bacteria. Anthrax is an infectious disease that usually infects cows and sheeps. It's in the form of microscopic spores that can remain active for years. If these spores are inhaled, they almost always cause death by pneumonia and infection. It's a very deadly disease. But it is one in which there's a vaccine that is effective that's been in use since the 1950s and certified by the FDA. So the Pentagon decided that it would go ahead and inoculate all of the U.S. troops against the possibility that they could face Anthrax on the battlefield in the future.
CNN 20: Military Anthrax Vaccinations, December 15, 1997