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 | Today Programme Report - Text Only Version 91热爆 Radio 4 |
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| Tuesday聽8th June 2004 Gulf War Hunger Strike The Ministry of Defence has always denied the existence of 'Gulf War Syndrome' - a disorder聽that some veterans of the 1991 conflict claim they are suffering. For over a decade a group of British soldiers claim they became ill following their service in the Gulf War聽conflict of聽1991. They believe the concoction of vaccines administered to the soldiers may be the聽root聽cause of their medical disorders. So far the British government has refused to hold a public inquiry into this issue.聽 There is a variety of scientific opinion on whether such a condition even exists. One British army veteran is so angry with the government's response that he began a hunger strike six weeks ago. He says he will not stop until a public inquiry into Gulf War Syndrome begins. Alex Izett was given a series of vaccinations in quick succession for the 1991 Gulf War. Two years ago聽Today聽reported that a Pension Tribunal ruled the Osteoporosis he developed on leaving the military was caused by that concoction of drugs. The MOD refused to accept this finding. Mr Izett lives just down the road from British army barracks in Osnabruck .. Where he was once stationed in the Royal engineers. I arrive at his house at a difficult time, his family's trying to eat lunch - it's been 5 and a half weeks since food passed Alex Izett's lips. So far he's lost over聽two stones in weight. A pension tribunal ruled the concoction of drugs聽Mr Izett received for the gulf war of 1991 caused his osteoperosis, he hoped it would show the existence of gulf war syndrome, the MOD says it doesn't , that it merely showed the MOD couldn't prove that ill health was聽not caused by the injections .. the聽MOD says independent research has found no single cause for the illnesses that some gulf war veterans suffer . For 10 years聽Mr Izett has lived with a range of illnesses including depression, ulcers, fatigue and osteoperosis. He has a 70% war disability pension but he says it's not enough and worries that because it's not 80% if he dies his wife won't be entitled to get a widows pension. A聽couple of weeks ago, some time into his hunger strike he received a letter from the MOD urging him to reconsider his action. The 91热爆 is not responsible for external websites |
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