According to the Pentagon, the soldier, Pfc. Christopher "Justin" Abston, received smallpox and injectable influenza vaccines in November 2005, at Fort Bragg, N.C., 16 days before suffering sudden death in his barracks room.
The U.S. Army says "following evaluation of multiple specialized test results, the panel considered a cause-and-effect relationship to be 'possible.' The smallpox vaccine received by Abston is known to cause an inflammation of the heart muscle or myocarditis, a condition found at his autopsy.
The U.S. Department of Defense adds, "Evidence of the vaccinia virus, the main ingredient of smallpox vaccine, was not found in his heart muscle, but evidence of a different virus, parvovirus B19, was found. Natural infection with parvovirus B19 is another known cause of heart inflammation and death. The expert panel cautioned that the findings pointing to vaccinations were neither probable nor unlikely, but they do suggest the possibility that the vaccines may have caused Abston's death."
