Anthrax vaccinations

[Jan Klimkowski]

I worked with a number of British veterans who claimed to have Gulf War Syndrome. Many of them had been given numerous vaccinations, including anthrax, near simultaneously, and later became stricken with Gulf War Syndrome. Some of these veterans died from the condition - suggesting that it is more severe than Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (with which some doctors seek to compare it).

It is not possible to say with certainty what the link between anthrax vaccinations and whatever Gulf War Syndrome may be, actually is. However, there are persistent rumours that some Gulf War I veterans were given an experimental vaccination.

Below are two articles which are intiguing. I do not claim that they are necessarily connected.

White House memo exposes Rove knew of problems with anthrax vaccine
Allen McDuffee, August 7, 2008

Rove said Gulf War Syndrome, vaccine political stumbling block
The Department of Defense continued its controversial mandatory anthrax vaccinations program despite high ranking Bush administration officials acknowledging there were problems with the vaccine within months of the Bush administration taking office—well before the 9/11 attacks and the October 2001 anthrax letters.
A 2001 memorandum from former White House Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove to then-Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz indicates that the White House knew of problems relating to the Gulf War Syndrome and the military's controversial anthrax vaccine.
Obtained by RAW STORY earlier this year from a senior military official and referenced in today's New York Daily News, Rove wrote, "I do think we need to examine the issues of both Gulf War Syndrome and the Anthrax vaccine and how they can be dealt with. They are political problems for us."
RAW STORY had held off printing the memorandum (which appears below) in an effort to validate its authenticity. Along with the memo, Rove noted that he had attached "material on the Anthrax vaccine problem," which had been forwarded to him by H. Ross Perot. He titled it "GULF WAR SYNDROME AND ANTHRAX."
RAW STORY had held off printing the memorandum (which appears below) in an effort to validate its authenticity. Along with the memo, Rove noted that he had attached "material on the Anthrax vaccine problem," which had been forwarded to him by H. Ross Perot. He titled it "GULF WAR SYNDROME AND ANTHRAX."
Pentagon maintains vaccine is safe, requires injections
Despite repeatedly maintaining it is safe, documents obtained by Raw Story last year showed that the Pentagon and medical military personnel have known since at least 1998 that there are genetic triggers between illnesses and some required immunizations. They also revealed the military knew and did not implement routine pre-screening which could help reduce vaccine-related illnesses.
[...] Texas billionaire and onetime presidential candidate H. Ross Perot testified to a Congressional committee in 2002 regarding issues with the vaccine and its manufacturer.
"BioPort is a mess," Perot said, referring to the Pentagon contractor, which has since changed its name to Emergent BioSolutions. "BioPort should not be able to keep that contract. For years they never met any goals or objectives...For years they got bonuses that equaled or exceeded their salaries and didn't accomplish their goals."
"The damage that was done to our Tigers in the Armed Forces is incredible," he added. "Hundreds of pilots have left the Air Force rather than take the shot. $6 million to train one pilot. That's a high price to pay, right?"
[…] Iowa Republican Sen. Charles Grassley (R-IA), has called for a "full-blown accounting" of the probe, which cost taxpayers $15 million and took seven years, according to the Washington Post. Democratic Rep. Rush D. Holt (D-NJ), who represents the region the deadly letters were mailed from from, says hearings should be held as to "why investigators are so certain that Ivins acted alone."
The memo is available in PDF format here.
This article was edited by Raw Story Managing Editor Larisa Alexandrovna, and paid for by reader donations to Raw Story Investigates

http://www.zimbio.com/Deputy+Chief+of+St...+Karl+Rove

'Israel treated its soldiers as guinea pigs'

Global Research, March 26, 2009
Press TV - 2009-03-25

Israel has admitted to developing an anthrax vaccine through a secret research project involving tests on unaware army soldiers.

The Israeli Defense Ministry revealed on Wednesday that the vaccine was tested on 716 soldiers while they had not been fully informed about the study, Ynet reported.

The project, codenamed "Omer 2", was held during the first part of the 1990s and the subjects were picked out of a pool of 4,000.

Some of the soldiers, who say that the experiment has had life-threatening side effects for them, are now filing a lawsuit against the Israeli Army, Haaretz reported.

So far, 11 soldiers have sought medical attention due to the side effects sustained as result of the tests.

Israeli Physicians for Human Rights have also filed a lawsuit against the army over the experiments.

The experiments were carried out in light of what was then defined as the "strategic threat of a surprise biological attack facing Israel," the report said.

Meanwhile an official medical committee has published a report, raising doubt over motivations for advancing the experiment.

The report which was drafted by a special committee of doctors, a legal advisor, and a scientist from the Weizmann Institute of Science, was finally approved for publication on Wednesday.

The report revealed that even while the experiment was taking place, Israel had already had a stock of anthrax vaccines.

"An accelerated effort to produce large quantities of the vaccine was underway a year prior to the experiment, and by the time the experiments were launched, Israel had enough vaccines to cover the civilian concerns," the report said.

The committee also criticized the "shroud of secrecy" which the experiments' directors implemented.

"The committee was unconvinced that the need for a vaccine was duly considered by decision makers. Also, it is not clear who the decision makers were who determined the vaccine's necessity," read the report.

The only official document found by the committee about the experiment was written by the deputy Defense Minister.

http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?c...&aid=12912