§ Lord Morris of Manchesterasked Her Majesty's Government:
What is the extent of the inoculation programme and other programmes being taken to protect the United Kingdom's troops against chemical and biological attacks while they are serving in Afghanistan. [HL28291]
§ Lord BachImmunisation is one part of a package of capabilities which protect our troops and enable them to respond effectively to chemical and biological threats. This package includes detection capabilities, protective clothing and equipment, decontamination procedures, other medical countermeasures and training. The immunisation currently available to protect UK service personnel against exposure to biological warfare agents is a voluntary immunisation programme against anthrax. This is offered to specific units of our Armed Forces on the basis of an assessment of the threat they face, which in turn depends on their deployment and role. Currently the 179WA programme includes personnel deployed to the Gulf and in specialist NBC units. We continually review whether it is appropriate to offer immunisation against anthrax to personnel who may be involved in other deployments as part of their wider package of protective measures against chemical or biological attack.