The U.S. Army gave Congress incorrect information about suicides and Lariam, a controversial malaria drug in Iraq last year, UPI reports



The U.S. Army gave Congress incorrect information about suicides and Lariam, a controversial malaria drug in Iraq last year, UPI reports

Army gave Congress bad data on suicides

WASHINGTON, Sept. 7 (UPI) -- The U.S. Army gave Congress incorrect information about suicides and a controversial malaria drug in Iraq last year, UPI reports.

The Army's top medical official testified in February that no more than four of the deceased soldiers could have taken Lariam, which the Food and Drug Administration says can cause mental problems. But the Army now says that number may be as high as 11 -- nearly half the total number of suicides the Army said occurred in Iraq during 2003.

The Army says it stopped using Lariam, also called mefloquine, in Iraq at the end of 2003. Since then, the suicide rate among soldiers there has fallen by more than half, Army officials also confirmed. They cited better Army suicide prevention efforts.

The Army noted it is now doing a study on whether any soldier suicides can be linked to Lariam.

When this story was posted in September 2004, here was the front page of PCOL Magazine:

Director Gaddi Vasquez: The PCOL Interview This month we sat down for an extended interview with Peace Corps Director Gaddi Vasquez. Read the entire interview from start to finish and we promise you will learn something about the Peace Corps you didn't know before. Then read the questions and answers one by one and leave your comments on the issues raised during the interview including Infrastructure Upgrades and the new Situation Room at Headquarters, Is there a Budget Crunch this year at Peace Corps, Peace Corps' Long Term Expansion, the Changes to the Five-Year Rule made last year, Safety and Security Issues, the Cooperative Agreement with NPCA, RPCVs in Policy Making Positions at Peace Corps Headquarters, Peace Corps' Departure from Russia in 2002, Director Vasquez's Accomplishments as Director, the Peace Corps Safety and Security Bill before Congress, Continuity at the Agency during Changes in Administration, the Community College Program, and the Director's Message to the Returned Volunteer Community.

Read the stories and leave your comments.