Shanxi vows to investigate killer vaccines
- Source: Global Times
- [02:04 March 23 2010]
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Parents unsatisfied
Wang Mingliang, whose son Wang Pengcheng died in Febuary 2008 after being among thousands of children allegedly given tainted vaccinations, told the Global Times Monday that he was unsatisfied with the response of local government.
"My hope that had been rekindled just a few days ago is now shattered again. They (the local health bureau) have never talked to me about the case. How could they come to a conclusion?" he said, noting the misery his son's death had caused to his family.
"My only choice is to wait for the result of the investigation by higher authorities. Hopefully they can bring me justice," he said. "Otherwise, I will fight on."
Li Changqin from Liulin county was more fortunate, as the life of his 5-year-old son Jun Jun was spared. But his son's occasional outbreaks of epilepsy, coupled with his inability to repay medical costs, have put the 28-year-old in a state of unending agony.
Jun received the DPT (diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus) vaccine on October 15, 2007. Five days later, he began to show symptoms including serious walking difficulties, headaches and vomiting.
He was diagnosed with brain damage. Hospital treatments have cost more than 60,000 yuan ($8,790), which Li's family is struggling to pay.
He said he had filed a lawsuit with the Yingze district court in February of last year in an attempt to seek justice.
Han Laiping, Wang's lawyer, told the Global Times that both the Yingze district court and the Taiyuan intermediate court have yet to process the case.
"If the vaccines proved to be problematic, victims can claim compensation," he said. "If the vaccines proved to be safe, local officials should explain why they hired an unreliable company to manage the vaccines."
Enraged by local officials' denials, the parents of six children who were said to be victims traveled to Taiyuan, the capital of Shanxi, on Saturday to demand an explanation from the local health bureau, Guangzhou Daily reported Monday.
They were denied a meeting with leaders of the local health bureau and some parents engaged in brief confrontations with bureau staff members.
Following the confrontation, several parents and the whistleblower Chen allegedly received threats and bribery attempts by text message and phone calls Sunday. In a text message to Wang Mingliang, he said someone offered him money to stop talking about the case.
"Don't attempt to find out who I am," the alleged text says. "Our boss asked me to contact you and make it clear: Please don't mess with the vaccine case. If you stop pursuing the case, our boss can give you 100,000 yuan ($14,650) later."
The text also threatened to chop off Wang's leg if he continued pursuing the case.
In a simliar text message sent to Chen, he was offered 50,000 yuan. Chen's wife allegedly received a similar phone call, and he said the speaker had a local accent.
All text messages were sent from 15156752184, a cell phone number registered in Anhui Province.
Guo Qiang contributed to this story
