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U.S. military personnel assigned to areas deemed to be at high risk for anthrax attack receive Anthrax Vaccine Adsorbed (AVA). Few cases of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) have been reported in persons who received AVA. Using a matched case-control study design, we assessed the relationship of RA and SLE with AVA vaccination using the Defense Medical Surveillance System. We identified potential cases using International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision, Clinical Modification codes and confirmed cases with medical record review and rheumatologist adjudication. Using conditional logistic regression, we estimated odds ratios (OR) for AVA exposure during time intervals ranging from 90 to 1,095 days before disease onset. Among 77 RA cases, 13 (17%) had ever received AVA. RA cases were no more likely than controls to have received AVA when looking back 1,095 days (OR: 1.03; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.48-2.19) but had greater odds of exposure in the prior 90 days (OR: 3.93; 95% CI: 1.08-14.27). Among the 39 SLE cases, 5 (13%) had ever received AVA; no significant difference in receipt of AVA was found when compared with controls (OR: 0.91; 95% CI: 0.26-3.25). AVA was associated with recent onset RA, but did not increase the risk of developing RA in the long term.

Background No comparative review of Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) submissions following pandemic influenza A (H1N1) 2009 and seasonal influenza vaccinations during the pandemic season among U.S. military personnel has been published. Methods We compared military vs. civilian adverse event reporting rates. Adverse events (AEs) following vaccination were identified from VAERS for adults aged 17–44 years after pandemic (monovalent influenza [MIV], and seasonal (trivalent inactivated influenza [IIV3], live attenuated influenza [LAIV3]) vaccines. Military vaccination coverage was provided by the Department of Defense’s Defense Medical Surveillance System. Civilian vaccination coverage was estimated using data from the National 2009 H1N1 Flu Survey and the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System survey. Results Vaccination coverage was more than four times higher for MIV and more than twenty times higher for LAIV3 in the military than in the civilian population. The reporting rate of serious AE reports following MIV in service personnel (1.19 per 100,000) was about half that reported by the civilian population (2.45 per 100,000). Conversely, the rate of serious AE reports following LAIV3 among service personnel (1.32 per 100,000) was more than twice that of the civilian population. Although fewer military AEs following MIV were reported overall, the rate of Guillain–Barre Syndrome (GBS) (4.01 per million) was four times greater than that in the civilian population. (1.04 per million). Conclusions Despite higher vaccination coverage in service personnel, the rate of serious AEs following MIV was about half that in civilians. The rate of GBS reported following MIV was higher in the military.

Purpose: To evaluate the hypothesis that receipt of anthrax vaccine adsorbed (AVA) increases the risk of atrial fibrillation in the absence of identifiable underlying risk factors or structural heart disease (lone atrial fibrillation). Methods: We conducted a retrospective population-based cohort study among U.S. military personnel who were on active duty during the period from January 1, 1998 through December 31, 2006. International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM) codes were used to identify individuals diagnosed with atrial fibrillation in the Defense Medical Surveillance System, and electronic records were screened to include only individuals without evidence of predisposing medical conditions. We used multivariable Poisson regression to estimate the risk of lone atrial fibrillation after exposure to AVA. We also evaluated possible associations with influenza and smallpox vaccines. Results: Our study population consisted of 2,957,091individuals followed for 11,329,746 person-years of service. Of these, 2,435 met our case definition for lone atrial fibrillation, contributing approximately 8,383 person-years of service. 1,062,176 (36%) individuals received at least one dose of AVA; the median person time observed post-exposure was 3.6 years. We found no elevated risk of diagnosed lone atrial fibrillation associated with AVA (adjusted risk ratio = 0.99; 95% confidence interval = 0.90, 1.09; p = 0.84). No elevated risk was observed for lone atrial fibrillation associated with influenza or smallpox vaccines given during military service. Conclusions: We did not find an increased risk of lone atrial fibrillation after AVA, influenza or smallpox vaccine. These findings may be helpful in planning future vaccine safety research.