Vaccines Gulf War
British Troops in the Gulf had a number of Vaccines, 4 Armd Bdg who was deployed in November 1990, and who were still deploying at the start of the air war, was hit the most. not like 7 Armd Bdg who deployed. in September had six months to get over the number of vaccines and, sometime's refused to take them.
Vaccines used by British Forces in the Gulf.
Plague..... Batch No 10H03A
Anthrax..... Batch No 337/E 348G This Vaccine is from Porton Down
Typhoid.....Batch No NK
Cholera.....Batch No NK
Pertussis (Whooping Cough).....Batch No B1888A This Vaccine is from Wellcome
Hepatitis a.b.c....Batch No NK
Anti-Biological vaccine
Tetanus
Yellow Fever
Meningococcal Meningitis
Poliomyelitis
Botulinurm ?
Drugs used by British forces in the Gulf.
Pyrodistigmine Bromide (NAP's) Product Licence Number 4537/0003 not licenced till August 1993. Two years after the war.
Biological Agent Treatment Set. (BAT's)
This letter was sent to me in August 11, 1994 from Ralph H.Rousell, M.D., F.F.P.M. Director Safety Assurance, Biological Products MILES Pharmaceutical Division.
Your letter of August 6, 1994, concerning the Plague vaccine has been forwareded to me for reply.
1. During the period of your inquiry plague vaccine was manufactured in the U.S.A. by Cutter Laboratories, Miles Inc.
2. Batch No. 10H03A was manufactured on June 1, 1990, and had an expiry date of March 1, 1992.
3. This entire batch was shipped to one of the U.S.A. military supply depots in the U.S.A. We are not informed of the further distribution.
4. Plague vaccine was licensed in the U.S.A. and Canada (U.S. License No 8; Canadian License No.28). A license was never applied for in the UK but it was available for usage in the UK on a named patient basis.
5. The recommendations for the use of the vaccine are given in the package insert.
6. The package insert recommends against the use of the vaccine on the same occasion as typhoid or cholera vaccines to avoid the possibility of accentuated side effects. We do not have experience of and hence cannot supply any information on the concomitant usage of anthrax and whooping cough vaccines together with pyridostigmine bromide.
7. We do not have any information on the manufacturers of anthrax vaccine. Your best source of information on this aspect is presumably the British Military Medical Authority or possibly one of the British vaccine manufacturers. The Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry could probably suggest some manufacturers names.
I trust this information is of help and that you are successful in your investigation.
Kind regards
Yours sincerely
Ralph H.Rousell, M.D.; F.F.P.M.
Around 5.398 viles were sent out to the Gulf for British use.
This letter is from the Department of Health: Dated 2 October 1996
Dear Mr Walker
ANTHRAX VACCINE BATCH NO. 337/E
Thank you for your fax with an enquiry about the above product.
I am able to confirm that the product licence holder for anthrax vaccine is the Department of Health and the batch number you quoted was manufactured by the Centre for Applied Microbiology and Research.
There is no indication in the package insert that pertussis vaccine is used as a booster for anthrax vaccine.
I hope this is helpful
Yours sincerely
L.G (Mrs)
This letter is from Dr Alex Sleator, Science and Environment Section, Research Division, House of Commons Library. To Sir Jim Lester MP. dated 25 October 1996
Dear Sir Jim,
Anthrax Vaccines
I have been asked to reply to your enquiry concerning the source of the Anthrax vaccine which is utilised in the armed forces.
In reply to a question by the Countess of Mar "Whether there are any differences between the first and second anthrax inoculations administered to military personnel in the Gulf War, and if so what are they, and by whom were the products manufactured?", Vicount Cranborne gave a written answer "Details relating to all vaccines giving protection against biological warfare agents are classified."
In response to a telephone call that i made to the Communicable Disease Surveillance Centre i was referred to the Porton Down Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment who again referred me back to the written answer above and stated that they were unable to comment futher.
I regret that i am unable to be of help in this instance
Yours sincerely
Dr Alex Sleator.
Once again Dr Alex Sleator reply to Sir Jim Lester Ref: Anthrax and Pertussis Vaccine. Dated 5 November 1996.
Dear Sir Jim,
Anthrax and Pertussis Vaccine.
I have been asked to reply to your enquiry concerning the anthrax vaccine administered to the Armed Forces. His recent letter indicates that he understood that he had received a Pertussis vaccine as a booster for the Anthrax vaccine.
Pertussis vaccine is a killed suspension of Bordetella pertussis. This is the organism responsible for Whooping Cough. The vaccine is designed to stimulate the body's immune defence against Whooping cough, and can be given on its own or as part of the "triple vaccine"-Diptheria, Tetanus and Pertussis
I can find no reference to its being used as a booster for the Anthrax vaccine, but again, I would refer you to the Ministry of Defence for further information, as the use of vaccines for the Armed Forces is classified information and as such there may be details of which I am unaware.
Yours sincerely
Dr Alex Sleator.
DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY
U.S. ARMY MEDICAL RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT COMMAND
FT. DETRICK, FREDERICK, MD. 21702-5021
Reply to the attention of:
SGRD-PLA (70) 30 JANUARY 1991
MEMORANDUM FOR THE RECORD
SUBJECT: Trip Report To England (u)
1. (s) Summary of discussions ( 5 U.S.C. 552 (b) (1) )
a. (s) The ( 5 u.s.c. 552 (b) (1) ) started administration of anthrax vaccine in the ARO the week of 4 January 1991. Vaccine is being given simultaneously with pertussis vaccine. Second date of anthrax will be given week of 25 January 1991 along with injection of Plague vaccine.
b. (s) ( 5 u.s.c. 552 (b) (1) ) procedures for use and identification are attached. (s) (5 u.s.c. 552 (b) (1) ) very receptive to confirmatory testing by the U.S.
c. (s) ( 5 u.s.c. 552 (b) (1) )
d. (s) ( 5 u.s.c. 552 (b) (1) )
e. (s) The ( 5 u.s.c. (b) (1) ) doses of human antiserum for botulinum toxin (types a-e ) and ( 5 u.s.c. (b) (1) ) doses of goat immune globulin ( types A, B, E, and F )
2. (s) Summary of discussions at the Chemical Defence Establishment (CDE)
a. (s) Specific laboratory confirmatory tests to confirm biological agents are described in the enclosed material. Primary concern is for identification of anthrax and plague. Standard culture techniques in combination with ELISA are employed.
b. (s) ( 5 u.s.c 552 (b) (1) ) several orders of magnitude less sensitive than the mouse bioassay)
The address for Wellcome is as follow's
GlaxoWellcome UK Limited
Stockley Park West
Uxbridge
Middlesex
UB11 1BT
44 (0)20 8990 9888
If any Veteran who received Anthrax Vaccine 348 please contact me or the NGVFA.
letter from the Mod 31 July 2001
Dear Mr Walker,
Thank you for your letter of 22 June about Anthrax Batch Number 348. You wrote in similar terms to Porton Down and i hope you will accept this as a response to that letter.
In answer to your question, Anthrax Batch Number 348 failed quality control tests.
Testing of Anthrax vaccines to be used in the Ministry of Defence immunisation programme for the Gulf conflict 1990/1991 was carried out by both the National Institute for Biological Standards and Control (NIBSC) and by the Centre for Applied Microbiological Research (CAMR).
CAMR produced the Anthrax vaccine. I therefore suggest that you write to CAMR at the following address and ask what side affects Anthrax Batch 348 would have on humans:
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