US sends 1st delegation to Anbar to survey support sites – Stars and Stripes
Stars and StripesUS sends 1st delegation to Anbar to survey support sitesStars and StripesOne of the largest U.S. Air bases during the 2003 to 2011 war in Iraq, Al Asad could again see use by American troops as one of two “train, advise, assist sites” the Pentagon says will be built when 1,500 additional U.S. Advisers deploy to Iraq in …US troops back in Iraq's Anbar, scene of heaviest combat of 2003-11 warBelleville News Democratall 3,462 news articles »
Talladega Germs (Medpundit)
Talladega Germs:** This was some overly cautious and politically foolish advice:
_NASCAR fans might seem rabid, but are they actually contagious?
Getting a hepatitis shot is standard procedure for travelers to parts of Africa and Asia, but some congressional aides were instructed to get immunized before going to Lowe's Motor Speedway in Concord and the racetrack in Talladega, Ala.
….Staff who organized the trips advised the NASCAR-bound aides to get a range of vaccines before attending — hepatitis A, hepatitis B, tetanus, diphtheria and influenza._
Some thoughts: 1) It isn't influenza season, so getting a flu shot now to protect you in Alabama for the weekend is useless. (But not a bad idea if you're thinking forward to January or February 2008.) 2) The hepatitis B vaccine is a series of three shots given over six months. They won't be getting much protection from one shot given just before the trip. Unless the staff is travelling to Alabama with the expectation of one night stands and IV drug needle sharing, the hepatitis B vaccine seems a bit superfluous. (Even for international travel, it's only recommended if a person is expected to have contact with blood or the sex …
