1 in 4 Gulf War veterans still has serious illness, panel hears

[unhappycamper]

1 in 4 Gulf War veterans still has serious illness, panel hears
By Les Blumenthal | McClatchy Newspapers
Posted on Tuesday, September 25, 2007


WASHINGTON — Sixteen years after the Persian Gulf War ended, more than 1 in 4 of those who fought remain seriously ill with medical problems ranging from severe fatigue and joint pain to Lou Gehrig's disease, multiple sclerosis and brain cancer, the chairman of a congressional advisory committee testified Tuesday.

But even as more is learned about what's now called Gulf War Veterans Illness, the Defense Department and the Department of Veterans Affairs remain in virtual denial about its causes and have been slow to offer treatment, said James Binns, the head of the research advisory committee on the disease.

"This is a tragic record of failure, and the time lost can never be regained," Binns told the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee. "This government manipulation of science and violation of law to devalue the health problems of ill veterans is something I would not have believed possible in this country until I took this job."

Pentagon and VA officials defended their approach to studying and treating the illness, saying they're taking it seriously, funding clinical and other research, and are committed to ensuring that Gulf War veterans receive needed care.

~snip~

Of the 700,000 or so U.S. troops who served in the Persian Gulf War, 175,000 to 200,000 are sick, Binns said.


Rest of article at: http://www.mcclatchydc.com/reports/veterans/story/19965.html

[PDJane]

1. Not to mention the dead..........

which is, I think, around 2,000. It keeps going up.