British troops fighting Ebola being given banned drug

New Kerala ^ | 11/16/2014 13 minutes ago | IANS

[wtd]

• British troops fighting Ebola being given banned drug

  British troops fighting the Ebola outbreak in West Africa are being given an anti-malarial drug banned in the US, putting them at grave risks, a report said Sunday.

  The British ministry of defence has refused to stop using the controversial drug mefloquine, which is known to cause psychotic disorders, including suicidal tendencies among users, The Independent reported.

  Lariam (the drug's brand name) is among the anti-malarials being given to the 800 British service personnel currently deployed in Sierra Leone on Operation Gritrock.

  Fears over the risks of psychosis and suicide prompted the US military to declare the drug as a "drug of last resort" in April 2013, and the US Special Forces Command banned its use more than a year ago.

  The British defence ministry admitted that it continued to prescribe mefloquine as "part of a range of malaria prevention treatments".

[Gay State Conservative]

About 30 years ago,on a trip to Africa or Asia (can't recall which),I was given mefloquine to prevent malaria.I recall having experienced a very unpleasant side effect but I can't recall what it was.On a subsequent trip a few years later I was offered it again and I said “no thanks!”.

[goodwithagun]

How are the side effects any different than drugs the FDA has approved? My fave is the depression drug commercials that list suicidal tendencies as a side effect. The smoking sessation drug lists that as a side effect as well.

[exDemMom]

This title is awfully misleading. I thought the article was going to be about British troops who were being treated with a malaria drug after getting Ebola—which would be highly questionable from a medical point of view. But that isn’t what the article is about at all.

Malaria is, indeed, a far bigger risk to personnel than Ebola. And malaria can kill in days without treatment.

[Jim Noble]

Mefloquine is not banned in the US. I prescribe it every week.

Under certain circumstances, with certain itineraries, it’s the best choice.

[Jim Noble]

How are the side effects any different than drugs the FDA has approved?

The whole article is a lie.

Mefloquine is FDA-approved. It's side effects are well-known and well-understood. 30% of people who take it experience better dream recollection (70% don't). 1% (1/100) have nightmares. .01% (1/10 000) have panic attacks or other daytime symptoms. .001% (1/100 000) have hallucinations.

The very long half-life (you take it once a week) is an advantage during exposure to intense transmission. The mortality of falciparum malaria in non-immune Caucasian adults is 2%-5%.

[Jumper]

In 1975-76, my unit in the 82nd Airborne Division was given the swine flu vaccination and later I saw myself and my platoon/battalion on 60-minutes in the early 80s. Using the military is cheap way for politicians to get new drugs tested for their cronies who support them in the drug industry.

[molson209]

troops fighting the Ebola ,has to be Liberal speak