Thousands of children fall ill in India after taking vitamin A under UNICEF program

abc news ^ | 11/14/01 | AP

[maggie]

Thousands of children fall ill in India after taking vitamin A under UNICEF program

The Associated Press

GAUHATI, India (AP) Thousands of children in India are complaining of illness after taking vitamin A as part of a UNICEF-sponsored anti-blindness program in the country's northeast.

A 2-year-old in the state of Assam died Monday after taking a dose Sunday morning, but authorities said they were not certain that the death was due to the vitamin intake.

"I would not like to conclude now on the cause for the sudden illness of so many children," Assam's Health Minister Dr. Bhumidhar Barman said.

The government has taken samples of the vitamin UNICEF was using and are testing it, Barman said. UNICEF said the test results would be available later Wednesday.

"I can't believe that the vitamin supplies could be contaminated. We need to wait for the laboratory tests before concluding anything," said Carrie Auer, UNICEF's representative in Assam.

The Assam government said it would take legal action if the vitamin supplies were found to be contaminated.

Local newspapers reported that thousands of children fell ill after taking the vitamin dose during the UNICEF-sponsored night blindness eradication campaign.

"A few children have come into our hospital, complaining of severe vomiting and high fever," said Dr. M. Borkakat at the Nagaon Civil Hospital.

Hundreds of children have been admitted to government hospitals in Nagaon, in central Assam, and the southern districts of Cachar, Karimgang and Hailakandi.

A UNICEF statement issued in New Delhi said a few hundred children were hospitalized with possible side effects "which are transient and nonfatal and children normally recover within 48 hours without any further consequence."

The statement said about 3.2 million children, all under the age of 6, participated in the program. In Assam, the statement said, the mortality rate among children younger than 5 was very high, at 90 per 1,000.

According to the statement, an average of 789 children under the age of 5 out of those 3.2 million would die from common childhood diseases on any given day.

Copyright 2001 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

[pray4liberty]

Via poison or dagger (abortion) these UN people must really want population control very badly. Funny how they hide their dirty deeds behind a cloak of virtue.

[maggie]

My thoughts exactly, united nation's agenda of population control and in such a sneaky way. So often evil is mixed with a touch of good making it so easy to be deceived.

[E. Pluribus Unum]

Somebody at the Vitamin formulation plant transposed a decimal place or two, resulting in ten or one hundred or one thousand times the RDA.

[maggie]

Maybe taking vitamins is a serious health risk!

[Merovingian]

Morbidity and Mortality after Polio vaccination in Assam -------------------------------------------------------- CALCUTTA: At least 10 children have died in India's northeastern state of Assam of side effects after being administered a vaccine during an polio immunisation campaign run by the state government. More than 500 children have been admitted to government and private hospitals after falling sick. Angry groups of parents have surrounded offices of the local administration in protest in Assam's southern city of Silchar. On Sunday, thousands of children were administered a polio vaccine throughout Assam and the rest of the country. But within a day of the massive polio immunisation campaign, reports have come in of large-scale side effects in and around the city of Silchar in southern Assam. Officials say 9 children have died in one village -- Labok -- while one died in Malugram locality of Silchar.

Non-governmental organisations in Silchar who assist the government in this campaign say outdated vaccines were possibly supplied in some areas. But officials were not willing to speculate on the causes of the large-scale side effects.

[Restorer]

Maybe taking vitamins is a serious health risk!

Sure is for vitamin A. It was a leading cause of death among early Arctic explorers who ignored Eskimo instructions not to eat the livers of polar bears or seals. It concentrates to highly lethal levels in these locations.

[hsszionist]

More U.N. sponcered population control efforts? Just remember the liberal mantra "It's for the children". If this proves to be caused by the U.N., punishments must be severe.

[JoeSchem]

A couple decades ago, a Union Carbide plant in some southeast Asian country leaked gas and killed and injured a number of people. The company had to pay out billions and the media pilloried it.

I suppose the same media types will be quick to forgive the UN. And good luck collecting settlements, moms and dads.

[detsaoT]

So often evil is mixed with a touch of good making it so easy to be deceived.

What about the World Health Organization and their "eradication" of smallpox? Think that's going to come back and bite us (thus attaining the population control crowd's wishes?)

:) ttt

[pubmom]

I have been told that taking any vitamin in isolation from the others can have disasterous results. I'm not an M.D., but my guess is their livers were unable to process the excess Vitamin A.

[2sheep]

Bush May Order Everyone Injected With Smallpox Vaccine

If Bush orders everyone in America injected with smallpox vaccine, will the recipients get AIDS, like the people in Africa did when W.H.O. gave them smallpox "vaccine," or might they get something worse?  Remember Gulf War Syndrome!

[maggie]

Thanks so much for the link - COMPULSORY vaccinations???

[hsszionist]

Just remember, the modern vaccine uses human fetal cells in it's production, and if the proposed law passes and you refuse to take it, you are subject to imprisonment and confiscation of all private property.

[The Duke]

...and in a totally unrelated development famed OJ lawyer Johnny Cochran today announced that he was moving to India in protest over how George Bush had stolen the election...

[babylonian]

Uncle Sam's smallpox vaccine? I'd rather drink the Kool-Aid.