Defence health goes under the microscope

An Australian Army officer has alleged a severe and ongoing reaction to an anthrax vaccination he received prior to the Sydney Olympic Games.

An Australian Army officer has alleged a severe and ongoing reaction to an anthrax vaccination he received prior to the Sydney Olympic Games.It is revealed in a submission to a Senate committee into Defence health that will hold its first hearing today. In his submission to the inquiry, Major Brett Laboo says he volunteered to provide support during the 2000 Olympic Games and was vaccinated against anthrax. He alleges after taking some of the vaccine he experienced a severe reaction including coughing and sneezing so violently that he injured his lower back. Committee member, Labor’s Mark Bishop, says modern vaccines are a growing concern among service men and women.”[Concern] that a lot pre-deployment vaccinations and the like might have long-term harmful consequences,” he said.Mr Bishop says it is just one of many stories communicated to the inquiry.”The most heartfelt complaints relate to issues arising out of the agent orange problems in Vietnam [and] the problems now relating to the first dispatch of personnel to the war in Iraq,” he said.Another submission says anti-malaria medicine was in short supply for some of the personnel that served in East Timor, while another argues the younger veteran community is crying out for mental health care.(Source: ABC Health News, Feb 2004)