The official press of China said nearly 300,000 babies and toddlers have developed abnormalities in their urinary systems after consuming milk powder that contained melamine earlier this year. The figure is five times the number of victims announced previously.
According to state-owned media Xinhua, the Chinese Ministry of Health announced on Dec. 1 that, as of Nov. 27, there were over 290,000 children who developed abnormalities in their urinary systems after consuming Sanlu brand milk powder and other brands.
Statistics show that a total of over 51,900 children were hospitalized, and 861 of them were still in hospitals, with 154 cases classified as severe.
The vast difference in the figures announced compared to those revealed previously aroused a lot of criticism among Chinese Internet posters. Some supposed that the figure 290,000 is big enough to be entered in the Guinness Book of World Records.
Covering Up the True Number
The poisoned milk powder scandal has drawn attention from all over the world, particularly since Chinese milk products are exported widely. According to the most recent statement from Chinese communist authorities, only three babies have died from drinking milk contaminated with melamine. According to investigative reports in media, however, the number of poisoned infants far exceeds that stated by government officials.
According to an Associated Press (AP) article published mid-November, an interview with a person who wishes to remain unknown revealed that at least 5 babies not reported in official statistics have lost their lives from drinking poisoned milk. The infants were in the provinces of Henan, Shanxi, Jiangxi and Xinjiang. These specific cases were not included in the official report from Chinese Communist Party (CCP) authorities.
One lawyer from Beijing said that it is obvious that the number of babies who died or suffered permanent injury is much greater than that officially reported.
Delayed Compensation Process
A group of 15 attorneys is now working for the victims to file a compensation lawsuit.
However, the Chinese health officials who are responsible for handling the incident refuse to reply to questions about compensation.
Zhang Kai, one of the volunteer lawyers, indicated that they hoped to solve the compensation problem through legal channels. However, no Chinese courts are accepting files to set up a case.
“We have agreed to handle more than 100 cases. We have also received more than 2000 phone calls and more than 100 documents requesting compensation,” said Zhang. “As the victims are so numerous, if the government does not solve the problem properly, this may cause in-depth social instability.”
Hu Zongyi, a researcher at China's National Institutes of Health, pointed out that the delay in processing compensation cases is not a technical problem but a political issue.
