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24 December 1996
British troop in the Gulf War were given secret, still unidentified injections against biological warfare agents. Yet, MP's were subsequently assured that all those administered had been disclosed.
The Independent has learnt that "five or six" injections were given which the Ministry of Defence has still not acknowledged. Campaigners fighting for Gulf War illness to be recognised fear that some of the injections could have been experimental.
The injections were not recorded on the troop's medical documents and the RAF medical expert appointed to investigate the "illness" - who has been moved to other duties - was unaware of them.
Two weeks ago, Nocholas Soames, the Armed Forces Minister, told Parliament he was launching a £1.3m programme to find out the cause of the mysterious ailments which have affected 1,200 Gulf Veterans. It is widely believed that the various illnesses may have been caused by exposure to organophospherous pestcicides, by tablets taken as a precaution against chemical weapons, by the cocktail of injections against biological warfare agents given in a short period of time, or by a combination of these factors.
Mr Soames admitted that the MoD has misinformed him on the extent to which organophophates had been used and has launched an inquiry into how that happened. He disclosed that troops had been inoculated against four known biological warfare agents: anthrax, pertussis, bubonic plague and botulinum toxin.
But a private session of the House of Commons Select Committee on Defence, a Labour MP asked the Surgeon-General, Vice-Admiral Tony Revell, how many vaccinations the MoD did not admit to. He replied that the number was about five or six. The vaccinations against plague, anthrax, pertussis and botulinum toxin had already been discussed. Lawyers for the Gulfveterans believe the "five or six" secret vaccinations were in addition to the four laready discussed.
Dr David Clarke, Labours defence spokesman, last night demanded all remaining details of the vaccinations to be revealed. He told The Independent: "I find this appalling. The Government must now come completely clean about what went on and ought to step up its efforts to find out what happened to these men and women. All drugs used in the Gulf ought to be declassified." Dr Clarke has written to Mr Soames asking for an explanation, but last night the MoD insisted it had revealed full information about vaccinations given to Gulf troops.
Question marks over the MOD line arose after inquiries by Shaun Ruslin, 37, a former medic with 32 Field Ambulance who was based at the main hospital intended to handle chemical and biological casulaties at Wadi al-Batin, about ten miles from the Iraqi border.
He is suffering from a form of Gulf War Illness and is no longer fit to work. He recieved a letter dated 12 November from Brigadier McDermott of the Army's medical directorate saying some of the injections he had been given were classified and secret and were therefore not recorded. However, the use of plague, anthrax and pertussis was widely known - it was reported in the press at the time - and had been declassified before the Brigadier wrote his letter.
Mr Rusling's solicitors contacted Group Captain Bill Coker, the RAF doctor initially given the task of investigationg Gulf War Illness. He said he knew of no vaccines that had not been decalred or which were classified secret. He knew about plague, anthrax and pertussis vaccines and said that if there were any others he wanted to know about them. He has now been transferred to other work, in the field of aviation medicine, but the House of Commons defence select committee has put it on record that he wants to carry on using his expertise.
Mr Rusling said that because he was a medic he recieved more injections than were given to ordinary troops. Most recieved about a dozen injections; he says he had 24.
Kirsten Limb, a scientist working with solicitors representing some of the Gulf Veterans, said a number of veterans reported having blood samples taken they recieved injections described as "biological warfare" and being told tht samples were being sent to Porton Down, the Governement's biological and chemical defence establishment, for analysis.
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