Briefs
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ARMY
Anthrax vaccine dosage studied
A study examining whether to decrease the required number of controversial anthrax immunization shots and their accompanying side effects is being conducted at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research in Maryland.
The Army said the study has two goals. One is determining whether the anthrax vaccine, manufactured by the BioPort Corp. in Lansing, Mich., is still effective when service personnel are given fewer doses.
The normal regimen includes six shots given at one, two and four weeks, and then at six, 12, and 18 months, with annual boosters.
"The (current vaccination) schedule is extremely cumbersome," said Col. Janiine Babcock, the principle investigator for the study. "It is expensive to implement, and it is very difficult to support from a vaccine production and logistical point of view."
The second goal is to change the way the shots are given, which should reduce the side effects of redness, tenderness, swelling and discomfort sometimes associated with the vaccine, the Army said.
The shots are given subcutaneously, which means the needle is inserted just between the skin and muscle.
"When you give vaccines (like the anthrax vaccine) subcutaneously, they work very well in stimulating the immune system in a very powerful way, but they can cause more local side effects," Babcock said.
According to a General Accounting Office survey, 84 percent of surveyed military personnel suffered some type of adverse reaction to the shots, and concern about the effects led some personnel to leave military service.
The Army said serious reactions remain statistically rare, with 11 hospitalizations out of 528,015 service members vaccinated.
NAVY
Shoppers asked to heed signs
The new Mall at Pearl Harbor has the world's largest Navy Exchange and biggest commissary in Hawai'i, but the same superlatives aren't being attached to the parking situation.
The Navy is reminding shoppers at the military stores that there are no-parking zones along the road that runs between Moanalua Terrace Shopping Center, the back of Moanalua Terrace housing, and along one side of Pearl Harbor Elementary School.
The yellow stripes and accompanying "no parking" wording isn't always heeded, officials said.
"This road is not designated for (parking)," said Chief Master-at-Arms (SW) Vincent Valeriano, Naval Station Pearl Harbor's traffic officer. "It's a two-lane road, but it becomes a one-lane road when people park illegally."
Security will be policing the no-parking areas more vigorously, the Navy said.
There are 913 parking spaces available around the mall off Radford Drive.
By late spring, with the demolition of the old commissary and exchange in December, 1,900 spaces will be available.
An additional 300 parking spaces should be available later this month with the demolition of former churches on Navy property.
A free exchange shuttle runs every half-hour from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays and 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sundays from stops throughout Pearl Harbor, and a shuttle also was recently started to Navy housing areas.
$10 million painting facility opens
Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility dedicated a new $10 million painting facility Oct. 21.
The facility is used to prepare ship components and other items for painting or powder coating.
All of the functions now can be performed in one facility. Before the construction of the facility, operations were conducted at several locations around the shipyard.
Improved material handling is projected to save $6.2 million per year.
"This complex not only consolidates functions, it places you in the heart of the industrial area, making you readily accessible and reducing transit time," said Capt. John A. Edwards, the shipyard commander.
VETERANS DAY
Veterans Day parade on tap
More than 40 marching units are expected to take part in the 56th annual Veterans Day Parade at 10 a.m., Nov. 11, beginning at Ka'ala Elementary School in Wahiawa.
The parade, organized by the Wahiawa Lions, will proceed up California Avenue to Fred Wright Park. The theme this year is "Freedom's Pride."
Maj. Gen. Eric T. Olson, the commanding general of the 25th Infantry Division (Light), will be the featured speaker following the parade.
