Minister defends anthrax jabs

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Minister defends anthrax jabs

13Feb03

THE refusal by some military personnel to be inoculated against anthrax

could not be understood considering the potential danger of active duty in

the Middle East, Defence Minister Hill has said.

Eleven Australian sailors are on their way home from the Gulf after refusing

the anthrax vaccine.

But Senator Hill said that in the opinion of the Australian Defence Force

(ADF), inoculation was in the best interests of military personnel entering

the Gulf.

" The view of the ADF is that they have a duty of care to those that they put

in harm's way, " Senator Hill said today at the Australian International Air

Show.

" In this particular situation there are threats associated with possible

biological and chemical weapons, and we believe that our personnel should be

properly protected against those threats. "

When questioned whether he understood the fears of military personnel

unwilling to be inoculated, Senator Hill replied: " No, I don't understand at

all, because the inoculation is for their safety.

" Unfortunately, there are those that are promoting, through web sites,

suggestions of severe adverse reactions but that's not our medical advice.

" Our medical advice is that this is a perfectly safe inoculation and we're

providing it to them for their safety.

" It's our responsibility to do so. "

Senator Hill said the Government was not considering a change of policy on

the matter and that no disciplinary action would be taken against those who

refused the inoculation.

Senator Hill said he himself would be inoculated against the anthrax virus

due to the likelihood he would be going to the Gulf sometime during the

deployment. Earlier , Opposition health spokesman said that

Australian troops heading to the Middle East should be given every

opportunity to make informed consent on receiving anthrax vaccinations.

Mr said there was obviously grave concern on the issue from the

families of defence personnel.

" It's important when these matters are raised that servicemen and

servicewomen have an effective opportunity for informed consent, " he said.

" In some respects, the jury's out. There are conflicting reports,

conflicting advice and that's why it's important that our servicemen and

servicewomen be given every opportunity for informed consent. "

Government finance parliamentary secretary Slipper said he could only

accept the advice of doctors that there was no danger in taking the anthrax

inoculation.

" I can understand that, given the health impact of service in the Gulf 10

years ago that there would be a lot of people concerned to make sure that in

future years that if they serve in this sphere, their health would not be

injured on a long-term basis.

" Naturally, you can understand concerns. I personally am not a medical

expert and I can therefore only accept the medical advice that the

injections are safe. "

Queensland Liberal MP Warren Entsch said it needed to be understood all

those who went on deployment were volunteering to go.

" They are well aware of the risks associated with going into a prospective

military area, " he said.

" As far as the anthrax injection is concerned, if such a weapon was used and

the government didn't make every single effort to protect their servicemen

in that area, then I think the (outcry) would be a hell of a lot stronger. "

Mr Entsch also cautioned against accepting the word of an HMAS Kanimbla

crewmember who spoke out on television this week with concern about the

injections.

" People do have different points of view and to single out one individual

and suggest that he is a spokesman on behalf of the crew, I think you'd need

to be very cautious on that, " Mr Entsch said.

Parents of Australian troops deployed to the Persian Gulf are also warning

their children against being vaccinated for anthrax.

Darwin man Lesley Bullard said he e-mailed his son telling him to refuse any

further vaccinations.

His son, aboard HMAS Darwin, was not told of the need to be vaccinated when

he left Australia.

" I want my son to partake in the operations over there should we need to go

to battle, but I don't want him dead before he does go to battle, " Mr

Bullard told ABC Radio.

Philip Steele, chairman of the Gulf War Veterans and Peacekeepers

Association, said the Federal Government needed to conduct a study to

determine whether the vaccine was safe.

" They would have liked to have heard it from the Department of Defence

before hearing it in the media, they say that one side-effect of the

injection is possibly that women and men for that matter is that they become

sterile, " Mr Steele said.

Meryl Nass of the US Vaccine Advisory Board said the anthrax vaccine had

been linked in three separate studies to Gulf War Syndrome.

" In particular the anthrax vaccine is dangerous, " Ms Nass told the Nine

Network.

" People who take it and give it should be well aware of the risk-benefit

analysis before they go ahead and get themselves injected.

" What we do know is that there is a high rate of initial reaction and in the

Gulf War population, there's a high rate of chronic disease. "

Meanwhile, Labor has demanded the immediate release of a report on

Australian troops sent to the 1991 Gulf War.

It is understood the report shows Gulf war veterans were at greater risk of

developing psychological disorders such as post-traumatic stress, depression

and substance abuse.

This report appears on news.com.au.