A detailed study has found that the health of Australian soldiers serving in the Vietnam War was not adversely affected by the anti-malarial drug Dapsone. The Minister for Veterans’ Affairs, Bruce Billson, today released Dapsone Exposure and Australian Vietnam Service: Mortality and Cancer Incidence Study which considered whether Vietnam veterans who took Dapsone suffered any adverse health effects.

The report, produced by the Department of Veterans’ Affairs in collaboration with the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, examined all army veterans’ deaths identified from the end of Vietnam service to 2001, and all cancers diagnosed from 1982 to 2000, and compared rates of death and cancer among those who consumed a combination of Dapsone and Paludrine for their anti-malarial treatment, with those who used Paludrine alone.

“The mortality rates among veterans who took Dapsone was the same for veterans who did not, and lower than in the Australian male population in general, while the incidence of cancer in the Dapsone group was 10 per cent lower than in the comparison group,” Mr Billson said. Although the study found that Dapsone did not harm Australian soldiers, it showed, like the previous studies of cancer and mortality in Vietnam veterans, that war service in Vietnam has had an adverse effect on many veterans.

“The overall incidence of cancer in both groups of veterans is significantly higher than in the Australian population. For those who took Dapsone it was seven per cent higher and 20 per cent for those who didn’t,” Mr Billson said.

“The Government recognises the health effects of Vietnam service and is committed to providing a range of services for the Vietnam veteran community.

“The Government provides treatment for all malignant cancers and post-traumatic stress, anxiety and depressive disorders, whether or not they have been accepted as service-related, and through the VVCS - Veterans and Veterans Families Counselling Service, provides Vietnam veterans and their families with mental health counselling services.

“My Department also offers a range of initiatives to promote health and well-being such as its alcohol program, The Right Mix and the lifestyle-orientated Men’s Peer Health Education Program, as well as assistance for eligible children of Vietnam veterans.”

The report released today is the fourth and final volume of The Australian Vietnam Veterans Mortality and Cancer Incidence Study which assessed long-term health effects in about 60,000 male Army personnel who served in Vietnam.