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Chinese health authorities give official numbers on milk scandal
Manchester News.Net
Tuesday 2nd December, 2008
The Chinese health ministry has confirmed at least six infants died and 294,000 were taken ill when they were fed milk contaminated with melamine.
Four months after the melamine contamination scandal was revealed, 861 infants and babies are still hospitalized with kidney problems.
A total of 154 infants are in a serious but stable condition, the ministry said.
The six fatalities included three babies whose deaths were reported earlier as a result of the contamination.
About 294,000 infants fell sick, with 51,900 requiring hospital treatment, mostly after developing kidney stones from milk formula tainted with melamine, a binding agent mainly used for making fertilisers and coating fibres.
The number of children taken ill was about five times higher than originally thought.
The use of the chemical was widespread in China's milk and formula production because it made products appear to have a higher degree of protein.
Tens of thousands of tonnes of milk and dairy products were withdrawn from the market after high levels of melamine were also found in some fresh milk, long-life milk, yoghurt and sweets.
The chemical was also found in eggs and egg products as melamine was also used to produce fake-quality foodstuffs for animals.
As a result of the scandal, exports of Chinese dairy products plunged 92 percent in October compared to the same month of the previous year.
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Silent Victims
12-04-08, 10:18 AM |
Chinese health authorities give official numbers on milk scandal
China’s traditional policy has been to admit nothing, deny, refuse to apologize, refuse compensation, legal redress, and bully anyone who comes to the capital to protest. In this unusual tainted milk case, which is so big, nothing could contain it, they have shown more transparency, an most astonishing, Premier Wen stated:“The state is ultimately responsible." something not heard in a thousand years in China. Typically numbers for all calamities such as this and others are greatly understated. There could be tens of thousands more un-reported, prior to the newsbreak, and the long term effects may not be known for a long time to come. Besides the discovery of a multitude of other related problems, eggs, fish, animal feed, etc., it is as if tainted food has legs. It is a wonder such a nation can support 1.3 billion for so long without poisoning themselfs to extinction.
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