British soldier sues Army over Q fever chronic fatigue

Andy · Jan 21, 2019

A former soldier is suing the Ministry of Defence after contracting Q fever in Afghanistan.

Wayne Bass claims his life has been ruined by the Army's failure to provide antibiotics which would have protected him from the disease.

His case is the first to test the MoD's duty to protect against Q fever, an infectious disease, linked to exposure to animal excrement.

The MoD says it is not appropriate to comment on ongoing legal cases.
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https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-46919853

rvallee · Jan 14, 2020

Dismissed.

A former soldier who said his life has been made "hell" by the Q fever he contracted while serving in Afghanistan, has lost the latest round of a compensation battle with the Ministry of Defence (MOD).

Wayne Bass, 35, fell ill while serving with the 2nd Battalion the Mercian Regiment in Helmand Province in 2011, and continues to suffer with a debilitating fatigue syndrome.

He sued the MOD for damages, claiming it failed to protect him from contracting the bacterial infection by not giving him antibiotics as a precaution to prevent illness.

After Judge Heather Baucher ruled against Mr Bass in March, concluding that the MOD had not breached its duty of care to him.

Mr Bass took his case to the High Court in London in December in a bid to overturn the ruling.

However, Mr Justice Martin Spencer today dismissed the appeal.

The judge said the MOD was entitled to take a "cautious approach" and wait for more evidence about the use and effectiveness of preventative antibiotics in relation to Q fever, before taking the "radical step" of changing medication for 20,000 troops each year.
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https://www.forces.net/news/ex-soldier-loses-high-court-appeal-over-q-fever-battle-mod

Art Vandelay · Jan 15, 2020

Alison Hunter (a young Australian woman who died with ME/CFS after enduring abuse in hospital) was found to have Q fever.

chrisb · Jan 15, 2020

It is hard to derive any detail from the report however it would be interesting to know more. It looks as though it was claimed that all troops in theatre should be treated with antibiotics as a prophylactic measure. It is not hard to see how such a claim could be dismissed.

Is there not a question as to whether there should have been vaccination? A vaccine of some sort was developed at Fort Detrick in the 1960's and there seems to be a current vaccine licensed in Australia. Given that Coxiella burnetii was once considered as a bioweapon, and it might still be used as such, one wonders what consideration was given to vaccination.

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British soldier sues Army over Q fever chronic fatigue

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