MoD admits Gulf War sickness could be repeated
The Ministry of Defence has admitted that it could be two years before it knows whether there will be a repeat of the ill-health problems that have dogged the 1991 Gulf War veterans.
Though the MoD does not recognise the existence of a “Gulf War Syndrome”, in a new report it accepts there are numerous reports of ill health among veterans of the 1991 war in Kuwait.
The report – entitled “the 1990/91 Gulf conflict: health and personnel related lessons identified” – says the MoD has learnt the lessons of preparing troops for desert battle. But it warns: “Reports of ill health in US and UK veterans took some 18 to 24 months to emerge after the end of the 1990/91 conflict and it is not unreasonable to expect the same time scale to apply to Operation Telic veterans, if indeed indications of ill health emerge.
“It may be another 12 to 24 months before a clearer picture of our performance emerges.”
Launching the report with a written ministerial statement, Defence Minister Ivor Caplin said the paper was being published as part of “the Government’s commitment to investigate 1990/1991 Gulf veterans’ illnesses issues openly and honestly and to learn the lessons of the past.
“In producing the paper, we have attempted to be as open and forthright as possible in examining the health problems experienced by serving personnel, veterans and civilians since the first Gulf Conflict.”
Mr Caplin stressed that the paper highlights many improvements made by the MoD but “does not shy away from highlighting where improvements are still required”.
Some of the most common reasons put forward for the ill health of returning veterans include reactions to the anthrax vaccination or a combination of vaccines, side effects from anti-nerve agent drugs, poisoning from chemical or biological weapons, and fumes from oil wells.
Many of the lessons learnt by the MoD reflect these concerns. It now ensures routine vaccinations, provides greater information on anthrax immunisation and commissions medical briefings for all areas where troops may be called to operate.
It also points to new equipment for managing threats from chemical and biological weapons, and more accurate recording of on-deployment medical information.
It stresses that the latest Gulf conflict – Operation Telic – had been successful in producing greater openness and better medical counter measures.
The report concludes: “The extent to which the issues identified in this paper actually led to Gulf veterans ill health is open to question” and adds: “We must be realistic about what can be achieved in respect of operational health issues.”
Pointing to the unpredictable nature of war, and the extreme demands it places on individuals, it concluded that: “Even when everything sensible has been done to implement the lessons identified from the conflict, post deployment ill health may still arise.
“The evidence of history suggests that future deployments will lead to post deployment health questions. We cannot therefore guarantee that deployed forces will not suffer ill health, but we will endeavour to do everything we can to minimise the risks.”
