This was published yesterday in Occupational and Environmental Medicine and
again makes a possible link to vaccination intensity and Organo-Phosphorus
pesticide use.
Pasted below is the text of the MOD press release :
MOD WELCOMES REPORT ON GULF VETERANS' HEALTH
The Ministry of Defence welcomes the publication of results from the study
by a team from Manchester University, led by Professor Nicola Cherry. The
work was funded by MOD but carried out independently. The findings are
presented in two papers: one dealing with the pattern and extent of reported
ill health amongst Gulf veterans, and one with the relationship between
health and exposures reported by Gulf veterans.
The first paper reinforces previous findings that although Gulf veterans
report more illness than those who were not deployed to the Gulf, the
overall severity of the symptoms is not high. As with earlier work, the
research found no evidence of any illness unique to Gulf veterans both
groups report the same symptoms with Gulf veterans reporting them at a
higher rate of severity. There is no evidence of a "Gulf War Syndrome".
The second paper suggests that vaccinations and the handling of pesticides
might be a cause of ill health. However, the authors themselves note the
unreliability of self-reported data and the lack of objective data. They
suggest the apparent link between vaccinations, pesticides and reported ill
health is worthy of further study. Such work is already planned or has been
under way for some time.
Welcoming the research, Dr Lewis Moonie, Veterans' Minister, said:
"The Manchester papers are a welcome addition to the Gulf health debate. I
am pleased that further work is already in hand, including MoD-funded
research, along the lines of that recommended by the report authors. We are
determined to continue to address the concerns of Gulf veterans."
There are articles in all of the UK broadsheet papers, here is the BBC
article online
http://news6.thdo.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/health/newsid%5F1272000/1272499.stm
There is a good source of links to news, resources, and personal interest
stories at http://www.ability.org.uk/gulfwar.html
The papers :
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Editorial
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New challenges facing ill health in Gulf war veterans
K ISMAIL
Occup Environ Med 2001;58 289-290
http://oem.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/full/58/5/289
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Papers
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Health and exposures of United Kingdom Gulf war veterans. Part I: The
pattern and extent of ill health
N Cherry, F Creed, A Silman, G Dunn, D Baxter, J Smedley, S Taylor,
and G J Macfarlane
Occup Environ Med 2001;58 291-298
http://oem.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/abstract/58/5/291
Health and exposures of United Kingdom Gulf war veterans. Part II: The
relation of health to exposure
N Cherry, F Creed, A Silman, G Dunn, D Baxter, J Smedley, S Taylor,
and G J Macfarlane
Occup Environ Med 2001;58 299-306
http://oem.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/abstract/58/5/299
Dr. Geoff Helliwell MB ChB CIH FFOM MIOSH
Medical Director
WellWork Ltd. UK
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