THE GULF BETWEEN PERCEPTION & REALITY

Official: Gulf Syndrome 'is a myth' (Colin Brown, 25/05/2003, Daily Telegraph)

Gulf War Syndrome does not exist, an official scientific report has concluded.

The Medical Research Council study found "little evidence" that multiple vaccinations were the cause of Gulf veterans' illnesses and declared: "There is no unique Gulf War Syndrome."

The report reviewed all scientific research into the condition and found no evidence of a link between the illnesses and the use of depleted uranium shells or nerve agents. [...]

Lewis Moonie, the Armed Forces minister with responsibility for Gulf veterans, said: "This review shows there is no case to justify a separate Gulf War Syndrome." He said it would not save the MoD money as veterans were paid according to their disabilities.

The report by the council - a government group which promotes research into all areas of medical and related science--said that symptoms were similar despite different exposures to vaccination, nerve agents, oil fire smoke and other potential hazards.

It added: "In short, there is no evidence from UK or international research for a single syndrome related specifically to service in the Gulf."

The symptoms - tiredness, headaches, lack of concentration, memory loss and numbness or weakness in the arms and legs - were also seen in other studies of non-Gulf veterans, scientists said.

"The only common Gulf conflict-related experiences seem to involve ill veterans' perception of their health."

Of course much of the problem lies in the way the media and Left politticians, who opposed the war for political reasons, feed the story in order in order to discredit the policy. Posted by Orrin Judd at May 24, 2003 8:02 PM