MALARIA DRUG LINK RULED OUT
A YOUNG man is fighting for life in hospital after he fell from the back of a ute at Mount Stuart early Saturday morning.
Police said the incident occured on Mount Stuart Rd about 2.20am, leaving a 17year- old from West End with critical head injuries and two others with lacerations.
A Ford Courier ute was being driven up the mountain with three people aged between 17 and 18 unsecured in the rear tray. They were thrown from the car when the 18- year- old male driver swerved.
The driver continued on up the hill before realising what had occurred, turning back and waiting for paramedics.
Townsville District Duty Officer Senior Sergeant Matt Lyons said police did not believe speed to be a factor.
“People should not be in the rear tray of a vehicle while it is being driven,” he said.
The 17- year- old man was last night in a critical condition in Townsville Hospital. A FIVE- year- old girl was taken to Townsville Hospital with an eye injury after a shocking incident involving a pram at the weekend.
Paramedics were called to the Rockpool at The Strand about 7.50pm on Saturday after a wire protruding from a pram became stuck in the child’s eye.
A Queensland Fire and Emergency Services crew was called to cut the wire so the girl could be taken to hospital.
“The wire was embedded in the lower eyelid of the child, which was attached to the pram,” a Queensland Ambulance Service spokeswoman said. “There was no injury to the eyeball and the child was transported to Townsville Hospital.”
The QAS spokeswoman said paramedics did not generally attempt to remove embedded objects while at the scene of an incident. THE Federal Government’s Repatriation Medical Authority has ruled out any link between antimalarial drugs and brain injury in Australian Defence Force members in a move that has angered veterans advocates.
The RMA has said, after an investigation launched in February, there was insufficient evidence that exposure to the drugs mefloquine, tafenoquine or primaquine causes chronic brain injury.
The drugs were given to Australian soldiers in a number of trials between 1999 and 2002. The medications have been the subject of claims from veterans that they are linked to acquired brain injuries and chronic mental illness.
Retired Colonel Ray Martin said while the RMA’s decision was disappointing, it was not unexpected.
“Sadly, it often takes decades for the devastating effects of toxic substances to be fully recognised,” he said.
“The concern today is that hundreds of servicemen and women who have been badly affected by mefloquine are still being misdiagnosed and mistreated almost two decades on after being used as experimental guinea pigs.”
Mr Martin said of those affected, some had been funding their own diagnosis treatment with many more in and out of psychiatric care.
“Regardless of the RMA’s decision, we have injured vet- erans who need support requiring research, an outreach program and an immediate Gold Card to fund appropriate treatment,” he said. “If the Government is serious about suicide prevention it will provide effective support now.”
The RMA said in a declaration obtained by the Bulletin that it did not propose to make a Statement of Princi- ples concerning chemically acquired brain injury. An SOP would set up guidelines for compensation claims, stating what factors must exist to establish a connection between diseases, injury or death and military service.
“The Authority is of the view that there is insufficient sound medical- scientific evidence that exposure to mefloquine, tafenoquine or primaquine causes chronic brain injury,” the declaration reads. “Further, there is insufficient sound medical- scientific evidence that there is a characteristic and persistent pattern of signs and symptoms following exposure … that could be determined to be a particular kind of disease of, or injury to, the brain.”
Quinoline Veterans and Families Association presi- dent Major Stuart McCarthy ( retired) said the RMA decision was disappointing.
“Regardless of this decision, veterans and families affected by these toxic drugs urgently need the Turnbull Government to fund a dedicated program of health outreach, research and medical care by qualified experts,” he said.
“How many more deaths and broken families do there need to be before Mr Turnbull gives us the help we need for serious injuries we sustained while serving our country?”
If you or someone you know needs help, support is available at Lifeline on 13 11 14. If you are a veteran or family of a veteran, you can also call the Veterans and Veterans Families Counselling Service on 1800 011 046.