For the third time in recent years, China has attempted to cover up illnesses and deaths related to spoiled food and medicines.
The latest case involves spoiled vaccines. A 2010 case also involved vaccines. A 2008 case involved a massive coverup of spoiled infant dairy products that killed six with another 300,000 falling ill.
Please consider Beijing Scrambles to Contain [Another] Vaccine Scandal.
Chinese authorities are scrambling to control the fallout after revelations that $88m in expired or spoiled vaccines have been distributed across China in a trade that continued unchallenged for years.
Police in Shandong province cracked the ring that purchased and redistributed substandard vaccines 11 months ago but authorities only appealed to distributors to help trace potential victims this week, after Chinese media broke the story.
The ring specialised in buying spoiled or soon-to-expire vaccines from dozens of salespeople at vaccine groups, and then redistributing them to vendors, including government-run disease control centres, in at least 10 provinces or cities.
Qiao Mu, a former journalism professor at Beijing Foreign Studies University, said the case would have been “completely preventable” if Chinese media were allowed to report freely on misconduct. “The authorities have a tendency of covering up media reports and failing to act until the whole thing blows up.”
In a similar case in impoverished Shanxi province in 2010, at least four young children died after receiving vaccines that had been left in sweltering heat. The editor of the China Economic Times was fired after his paper broke that story.
In China’s most notorious food-safety breach, milk adulterated by the chemical compound melamine, the infant formula maker at the centre of the scandal attempted a recall but was ordered by government officials to cover up the problem, for fear of damaging China’s reputation ahead of the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. At least six infants died, more than 300,000 fell ill and the reputation of the Chinese dairy industry has yet to recover.
In the US, unlike China, it is very difficult to hide such incidents. While companies may attempt coverups, the press doesn’t. The Chipotle E. coli outbreak is a recent example.
With China one always has to wonder: How many cases go unreported out of fear of reporting?
Mike “Mish” Shedlock
Your just being jealous, they have these “new technology” at work.
part of the “early grave program”… (sarc)
“In the US, unlike China, it is very difficult to hide such incidents. While companies may attempt coverups, the press doesn’t.”
Unless you are a democrat or POTUS appointee in the US. IRS, EPA, DOJ, Hillary, and on and on. Just sayin, it isn’t a vaccine in play, it is worse.
Keep in mind that this is only one story! There are many more never heard in the press. There are countless stories when speaking directly with people who must live in China.
‘Spoiled vaccine’ is a distortion. Vaccines are sterile with a trace of mercury and cannot spoil. The antigenic site is six amino acids in length and cannot denature. Whether stored under refrigeration as a precaution or not the vaccine should remain safe and effective until sterility is broken with first use. Bureaucrats who do not understand the chemistry can be ignored.
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Likewise vaccines do not expire. Bureaucrats require testing to prove an expiration date. The expiration date is entirely a function of how much time = money is spent on testing.
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Spoiled or expired vaccines is much ado about nothing.
Anything that contains mercury can be safely said to be spoiled
Price is what you pay. Value is what you get after the sale. There is absolutely no value in buying any products manufactured in or from China.
Let’s not kid ourselves. The only reason the press ever gets information on this stuff in the US is because it is released by the CDC. If people and doctors didn’t have the ability to inform the CDC, or if the CDC became “captured” by various industries, the same thing would happen here.
Which use to happen quite often in the early 20th century.
The press is the US has been eager to report on the Chipotle scandal, because the company had the temerity to go GM free, and had to be taught a lesson- a lesson which the media has been eager to fill to please their task masters.
In Australia, baby formulae is now called ‘White Gold’ due to Chinese demand. Australian mothers cannot compete with Chinese demand and are losing out. Lots of hungry babies now in Australia.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com.au/2015/11/15/toddler-formula-buy-a2_n_8540426.html
A point to note about that tainted baby food incident..
The businessmen were swiftly executed.
What would happen in America? I would guess a few years for each in a posh white-collar prison.
Not quite.
http://vaccineimpact.com/
Pharmaceutical companies here have COMPLETE IMMUNITY FROM DAMAGES – any problems go to a special kangaroo court that has a small capped payout.
All while they make Vaccines mandatory.
They contain mercury, but injecting it into a newborn is safe, although breaking a CFL is a HazMat emergency.
Any outbreak and there is a demand for more forced vaccinations.
It is worse here because we have an illusion of safety and accountability.