http://www.sundaypost.com/news4.htm
Top-selling author says flawed vaccinations caused disease
Scientist blasts MoD over Gulf War Syndrome
By Iain Harrison
AN award-winning scientist says his research into Gulf War Syndrome counters
claims by the MoD that it doesn't exist.
Dr Ken McClure, now a best-selling author, investigated the claims of ill
veterans while researching his latest novel, The Gulf Conspiracy.
The ex-molecular geneticist with the Medical Research Council says his
findings point towards flawed vaccinations as the cause of the
controversial condition.
Edinburgh-based Dr McClure considered submitting his thesis to the ongoing
Gulf War Syndrome (GWS) inquiry.
But he reneged amid fears sceptics would dismiss this as a publicity stunt.
In a frank interview with The Sunday Post, Dr McClure reveals how he came up
against a wall of silence when he began probing the cause of the disease.
"Around 250,000 veterans are adamant their illness is a direct result of
their service in the first Gulf War," he explains.
Crucial
"But the MoD, backed by the medical establishment, insist the range of
symptoms reported rules out the possibility of a single syndrome being
responsible.
"This is crucial because without the recognition of a single condition there
can be no compensation paid out. In my opinion, this is completely wrong.
"GWS is similar to Aids in that there is no single disease called Aids.
Sufferers contract a wide range of 'Aids-related conditions' which can
include tuberculosis and pneumonia, which attack the immune system.
"I began looking for a single thing which could have destroyed the immune
system of Gulf War veterans.
"I concluded that the only thing it could have been was the vaccines given
to troops.
"However, when I asked questions about the cocktail of drugs within the
vaccines I was told some were classified under the Official Secrets Act."
He claims his findings developed even more significance when the MoD
admitted to him that 72 per cent of veterans' medical records had gone
missing since the war ended.
French troops
Dr McClure hit upon his vaccine theory after studying available data from
two "control groups" - soldiers not given the vaccine who did go to the Gulf
and soldiers given the vaccine but who did not go to the Gulf.
"Some people claim Saddam's chemical and biological weapons are to blame for
the condition while others say it's down to depleted uranium," adds Dr
McClure.
"Yet the first group I looked at were French troops who would have been
exposed to those. None of them came down with Gulf War Syndrome.
"They did not receive the vaccine prior to going out because their
commander-in-chief did not trust it. So what does that suggest?
"I also studied a second control group that included a considerable number
of soldiers who'd been given vaccines but did not go out. They did
develop GWS symptoms.
"Within this group is Scottish-born GWS sufferer Alex Izett, whose hunger
strike led to the inquiry into the disease being set up.
"The fact he, and many others like him, are now suffering from GWS surely
completes the case against the vaccines.
Very ill
"The technicalities of what went wrong do not matter, but the fact all these
people are very ill does. They should be treated properly and with
compassion.
"I knew it would be interesting investigating Gulf War Syndrome, but I was
extremely surprised by my findings.
"But whether it was caused by a rogue vaccine, contamination of the vials,
or was merely a mistake is something for other scientists to determine."
Although Dr McClure's latest novel - which is currently flying off the
shelves in the US - is fiction, he says it's "not far removed from
reality".
"I discovered the Army had been working with the HIV virus prior to the
first Gulf War, although I couldn't find out why.
"That's what I took as the starting point for the book, with the vaccines
being contaminated, but I'll probably never know how close to the truth
it is."
While acknowledging some veterans of the 1990/91 Gulf conflict have become
ill, the MoD dismiss suggestions that veterans from other countries
suffer less ill health than their UK counterparts.
Major study
Ironically, they cite findings published by the Medical Research Council,
for whom Dr McClure worked, which said veterans from several coalition
countries consistently report suffering more symptoms than non-Gulf
veterans.
A spokeswoman added, "The MoD has commissioned a major study into the
possible adverse health effects of the administration of a combination of
vaccine or nerve agent pre-treatments during the 1990/91 Gulf conflict.
"Preliminary test results were published in April 2003 and indicated no
apparent adverse health consequences. Full results are expected to be
published later this year.
"Medical records of service personnel have not gone missing. Details of
vaccinations given in theatre were not, in all cases, transferred to
individual medical records on return to the UK.
"The MoD have acknowledged this and improved procedures have been put in
place."
The Gulf Conspiracy is published by Allison & Busby, £12.99, ISBN
0-7490-0614-5.