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 : ----------------------------------------------------------------- Editorial ----------------------------------------------------------------- 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 ----------------------------------------------------------------- Papers ----------------------------------------------------------------- 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