Vaccine Scene

On Sept. 24, Slate noted in Jon Cohen’s piece “ Vax Populi,” that yes, an anthrax vaccine exists, but no, you can’t have it. The significance of the story, tragically, has increased. At last count, one person has died from inhalation anthrax, seven have anthrax infections, and 32 have tested positive for exposure to the bug. Although the entire nation doesn’t need to be vaccinated, many civilians want access to this product, which is already approved by the Food and Drug Administration. More important, the rationale for not developing an improved version of this vaccine for public use is becoming more hollow every day.