Soldier's from every other Country that Used Anthrax Vaccine have had Medical Problems
Soldiers from every other country that used anthrax vaccine have had medical problems, even though only limited information is available
Meryl Nass, MD
May 19, 2007
Israel
Dozens of Israeli soldiers who volunteered to take part in classified anthrax vaccine experiments years ago are reportedly still ill as a result, according to Israeli media. They were reported to have been prohibited from disclosing information about the experiment, even to their families, even after they developed incurable illnesses.[1]
United Kingdom
British authorities have claimed that 50% of troops accepted the vaccine voluntarily. [2] But in one study of voluntary vaccinations, only 21% of the soldiers offered vaccinations completed the four dose series.[3] The authors concluded, “Although the old vaccine is considered safe, the number of adverse reactions and incapacity reported by a military medical unit was unexpected.” Another study at five Royal Air Force bases found that only 4 to 22 per cent of those volunteering for anthrax vaccinations chose to complete all four doses.[4]
A study of veterans and Gulf War illness symptoms found that soldiers who received anthrax vaccine for the Gulf War were 1.5 times as likely to report chronic Gulf War illness as those who did not, and that those who received anthrax vaccine for the Bosnia deployment were over 3 times as likely to report a similar chronic illness.[5]
Canada
Canada’s Department of National Defense hired contractor Goss-Gilroy Inc. to study risk factors and Gulf War Illnesses.[6] The 1998 study found that soldiers who had received anthrax and/or plague vaccinations during the first Gulf War deployment were 1.92 times as likely to suffer from chronic fatigue as those who did not receive these biological warfare vaccines.
In 2000, a decision by military judge Guy Brais ended Canada’s mandatory anthrax vaccination program. His ruling stated,“It was sufficient and the court is satisfied on the balance of probabilities that the defense has successfully demonstrated that the anthrax vaccine contained in lot 020 was unsafe and hazardous and could be responsible for the important symptoms reported by so many persons who received that vaccine…In those circumstances, the court concludes that the accused's right to life, liberty and security of the person in section 7 of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms were infringed. And as the court stated earlier, the government, through its Department of National Defense and the Canadian Forces, could never be justified to impose inoculation of soldiers with an unsafe and dangerous vaccine as a limit of their rights under section 7.” [7]
Since the Afghanistan war began in 2002, Canadian troops have not even been offered voluntary anthrax vaccinations. [8]
Australia
Nearly three quarters of soldiers vaccinated prior to deployment to Afghanistan suffered severe acute reactions, according to Australian defense documents released in early 2004.[9] Yet, asked on TV about the safety of the anthrax vaccine, Australian Minister of Defense Robert Hill had claimed two months earlier that, “there hasn't been any adverse reactions, let alone extreme reactions.” [10]
No reports of the vaccinated soldiers’ later health status have been provided to the public.
“The Australian Medical Association has called upon the military to prove the vaccination is safe. ‘If they have that data, the medical profession in Australia would very much like to see it,’ the Association' s president Kerryn Phelps told Australian Broadcasting Corporation radio.” [11]
[1] Ha’aretz staff. Haaretz newspaper, Israel. May 15, 2007.
[2] http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/2749735.stm
[3] Hayes SC and World MJ. Adverse reactions to anthrax immunisation in a military field hospital. J Royal Army Med Corps. 2000 Oct;146(3): 191-5.
[4] Enstone JE, Wale MCJ, Nguyen-Van-Tam JS et al. Adverse medical events in British service personnel following anthrax vaccination. Vaccine 2003; 21:1348-54.
[5] Unwin C, Blatchley N, Coker W et al. Health of UK servicemen who served in Persian Gulf War. Lancet 1999: 353: 169.
[6] This study was posted on the Canadian Department of National Defense website from 1998 for several years but is no longer online. The study has not been published. This author has a copy, obtained via download.
[7] http://www.mvrd.org/AVN/sonnie/law%5Ccanadatranscript.htm#judge
[8] http://www.cbc.ca/cp/health/070305/x030519A.html
[9] http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2004-02-21-australia-anthrax_x.htm
[10] http://www.abc.net.au/lateline/stories/s783068.htm
[11] http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200408/s1175466.htm
Meryl Nass, MD
Mount Desert Island Hospital
Bar Harbor, Maine 04609
207-288-5081 ext. 220
Meryl Nass, MD
May 19, 2007
Israel
Dozens of Israeli soldiers who volunteered to take part in classified anthrax vaccine experiments years ago are reportedly still ill as a result, according to Israeli media. They were reported to have been prohibited from disclosing information about the experiment, even to their families, even after they developed incurable illnesses.[1]
United Kingdom
British authorities have claimed that 50% of troops accepted the vaccine voluntarily. [2] But in one study of voluntary vaccinations, only 21% of the soldiers offered vaccinations completed the four dose series.[3] The authors concluded, “Although the old vaccine is considered safe, the number of adverse reactions and incapacity reported by a military medical unit was unexpected.” Another study at five Royal Air Force bases found that only 4 to 22 per cent of those volunteering for anthrax vaccinations chose to complete all four doses.[4]
A study of veterans and Gulf War illness symptoms found that soldiers who received anthrax vaccine for the Gulf War were 1.5 times as likely to report chronic Gulf War illness as those who did not, and that those who received anthrax vaccine for the Bosnia deployment were over 3 times as likely to report a similar chronic illness.[5]
Canada
Canada’s Department of National Defense hired contractor Goss-Gilroy Inc. to study risk factors and Gulf War Illnesses.[6] The 1998 study found that soldiers who had received anthrax and/or plague vaccinations during the first Gulf War deployment were 1.92 times as likely to suffer from chronic fatigue as those who did not receive these biological warfare vaccines.
In 2000, a decision by military judge Guy Brais ended Canada’s mandatory anthrax vaccination program. His ruling stated,“It was sufficient and the court is satisfied on the balance of probabilities that the defense has successfully demonstrated that the anthrax vaccine contained in lot 020 was unsafe and hazardous and could be responsible for the important symptoms reported by so many persons who received that vaccine…In those circumstances, the court concludes that the accused's right to life, liberty and security of the person in section 7 of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms were infringed. And as the court stated earlier, the government, through its Department of National Defense and the Canadian Forces, could never be justified to impose inoculation of soldiers with an unsafe and dangerous vaccine as a limit of their rights under section 7.” [7]
Since the Afghanistan war began in 2002, Canadian troops have not even been offered voluntary anthrax vaccinations. [8]
Australia
Nearly three quarters of soldiers vaccinated prior to deployment to Afghanistan suffered severe acute reactions, according to Australian defense documents released in early 2004.[9] Yet, asked on TV about the safety of the anthrax vaccine, Australian Minister of Defense Robert Hill had claimed two months earlier that, “there hasn't been any adverse reactions, let alone extreme reactions.” [10]
No reports of the vaccinated soldiers’ later health status have been provided to the public.
“The Australian Medical Association has called upon the military to prove the vaccination is safe. ‘If they have that data, the medical profession in Australia would very much like to see it,’ the Association' s president Kerryn Phelps told Australian Broadcasting Corporation radio.” [11]
[1] Ha’aretz staff. Haaretz newspaper, Israel. May 15, 2007.
[2] http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/2749735.stm
[3] Hayes SC and World MJ. Adverse reactions to anthrax immunisation in a military field hospital. J Royal Army Med Corps. 2000 Oct;146(3): 191-5.
[4] Enstone JE, Wale MCJ, Nguyen-Van-Tam JS et al. Adverse medical events in British service personnel following anthrax vaccination. Vaccine 2003; 21:1348-54.
[5] Unwin C, Blatchley N, Coker W et al. Health of UK servicemen who served in Persian Gulf War. Lancet 1999: 353: 169.
[6] This study was posted on the Canadian Department of National Defense website from 1998 for several years but is no longer online. The study has not been published. This author has a copy, obtained via download.
[7] http://www.mvrd.org/AVN/sonnie/law%5Ccanadatranscript.htm#judge
[8] http://www.cbc.ca/cp/health/070305/x030519A.html
[9] http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2004-02-21-australia-anthrax_x.htm
[10] http://www.abc.net.au/lateline/stories/s783068.htm
[11] http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200408/s1175466.htm
Meryl Nass, MD
Mount Desert Island Hospital
Bar Harbor, Maine 04609
207-288-5081 ext. 220
