Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many service men and women who were deployed to Afghanistan between 2007 and 2014, and were required to take Lariam (mefloquine), subsequently required mental health treatment.

Between 1 April 2007 and 31 December 2014, 16,473 UK Regular Armed Forces personnel were prescribed mefloquine (commercial name Lariam). Up to 31 March 2015, 1,066 (6 per cent) were assessed as having a mental health disorder at their initial assessment at an MOD Department for Community Mental Health (DCMH) or on admission to an MOD in-patient provider. It is not possible from centrally-held data to identify whether an assessment is associated with a patient having taken mefloquine.

Former Service men and women are treated by the NHS and their status as a veteran is not always recorded on their NHS medical records. It is therefore not possible to say how many former Service personnel have required psychiatric treatment after taking mefloquine.

Between 1 April 2007 and 31 December 2014, 536 UK Armed Forces personnel were prescribed mefloquine prior to or whilst on deployment to Afghanistan. Up to 31 March 2015, 43 (8 per cent) were assessed as having a mental health disorder at their initial assessment at an MOD DCMH or on admission to an MOD in-patient provider.