Claim: "40 Children in Chad Paralyzed by Vaccines" Is Probably False

eta, 1/24/2013 results of independent investigation: 

Meningitis Vaccine in Chad: Not the cause of anything except immunity to Meningitis A

 

Yesterday's post on events surrounding a meningitis immunization clinic in a remote part of Chad -- I have updates.

From the Meningitis Vaccine Project Download MVPstatement_10Jan2013_EN

Statement: MenAfriVac vaccination campaign in Gouro, Chad

Ferney-Voltaire, 10 January 2013—The Meningitis Vaccine Project learned of the story published in the Chadian weekly La Voix regarding the MenAfriVac vaccine that was introduced in Gouro in December 2012. On behalf of our global partners, we wish to emphasize that we take every MenAfriVac-related report very seriously.

An investigation team is on the ground in Chad to explore what caused these statements. All available data point to the high safety and effectiveness of the vaccine. We believe that the investigation in Chad will shed light on the exact circumstances that caused the publication of the article in La Voix. We will make that information public as the scientific reports become available.

Via e-mail, I contacted the US embassy in Chad. Les McBride (USAID Program Manager – Chad at the U.S. Embassy, N’Djaména) replied

Q: I would really like to have more facts on the matter to publicize. Can you help me? Specifically, has any more information been made public about the cause of the childrens' illnesses?
A: We are not aware of any additional information that has been made public. There is a CDC doctor based in Chad with whom we have occasional contact and he has kindly provided us with some details through e-mail communication. A CDC team from Brazzaville has also arrived and is in the process of investigating this accident.
Q:How many children were affected?
A: 34 (source: weekly Health Ministry epidemiologic meeting attended by CDC).
Q: How many were hospitalized?
A: No reliable information available; we only have anecdotal reports from laypeople.
Q:Are any still hospitalized?
A: Idem.

So. Christina England's claim that "40 children were paralyzed by the MenAfriVac" cannot be verified, and is most likely false. Sarah "The Healthy Home Economist"'s claim that "government of Chad desperately trying to silence the frantic parents of the paralyzed children by paying them hush money" has no evidentiary base, and is most likely false

Comments

[Kathryn]

Thanks for checking into this.

If someone has to make $#17 up to support their cause, maybe they should consider dropping that cause. Because there might be real evidence if it were real, right?

[jefe]

How would we ever know? Testing this kind of thing out in a part of the world that doesn't have prolific internet/telephone access seems highly dubious in of itself. I say we'll find out soon enough and that supposition on either side hints at greater biases.

[Donar Don]

YEAH FALSE - MY ASS: You can still see the headline of the newspaper on the right http://www.journalavoix.info/home.php?action=showcat&catid=2. And here a video on it including the president visiting the paralysed children. Here the link to the TV station and a report http://tchadonline.com/?p=125535link. But of course the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is a by far more reliable partner worrying about overpopulation and thus helping the poor of the world have more healthy fertile children which helps overpopulation.

[Donar Don]

Here a link of video with some explanations in English and an article http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=ZEBGG7KFQpU#! and http://vactruth.com/2013/01/13/children-paralyzed-by-vaccine/?utm_source=The+Vaccine+Truth+Newsletter&utm_campaign=531bc07f3e-01_13_2013_pmvideo&utm_medium=email

[ahamat]

I am relate to children, I am writing from chad. The information from christna were correct. 40 children now in ndjamena hospital just 500metter from US embassy. Video from chad national tv now is on youtube. Go and read second article of christna. Why US Ambassy is not tell you the true. The was on tv on 9/01/2013,at 8 pm.

[Pharmacist-in-Exile]

Anyone but me thinking about the fact that the allegedly used vaccine (MenAfriVac) has been distributed in more than 20 countries and given in more than 100 million doses would indicate that we have something not directly related to the vaccination at hand?
And how come an allegedly 8% incidence rate (based on 40 cases in 500 vaccination - a number taken from a secondary source on Christina's article) of this paralysis didn't show up in the clinical trials in India?
To blame the vaccinations are clearly premature even if it will turn out to be true! Please continue to keep an eye on the developments!

[ahamat]

The vaccination is bad for us people in chad Gouro. We have never experienced that tragedy. we have never had meningist in gouro. when children became ill our government delagate minister of health and social security minister arrived with 60 million fcfa and handed out each child 1million in order to be quiet. Independant medias were banned to visit the children and stat tv hide the tragedy to public but after 3 weeks parents attacked the staff of health centre and burned vehicule of minister of health.
OMS,Path, bilgate foundation and MVP still remain silence although they are who brought the diseases. Our email those organisation were just ignored. Parents chad government failed to depend chadian children. Now parents are calling help from Human right organisation.

[Chris]

ahamat:

The information from christna were correct. 40 children now in ndjamena hospital just 500metter from US embassy.

Then ask the US Embassy to visit, and allow independent media to interview the medical personnel. Also, violence against any does not help your cause.

In short: nothing makes this any more believable.

[herr doktor bimler]

Liz, I am impressed how many regular readers you have in Chad, available to provide you with eye-witness reports!

I see that England's version of the facts is now popping up across a swathe of websites -- including backtranslations into French.

Sadly, she misspelled the first name of the La Voix contributor (as 'Anrde' rather than André Byakzahbo), and every single antivax spammer repeats the misspelling -- not one of them goes back to the original source. It is a useful way of filtering out the reprints of England's version (even those that omit her name) when scrolling down hunting for a primary source.

Byakzahbo's report does not support much of England's claims.

[Ulrike]

There are news on this matter: It seems that it was a case of collective hysteria.

http://www.meningvax.org/files/2ndstatementMoHChad_21Jan2013.pdf

[lilady]

Great find Ulrike. I'm hoping that second report will be provided to all the major media outlets, so that we can finally shut down all the anti-vaccine and conspiracy groups that have England's blog posted on the internet.

[herr doktor bimler]

so that we can finally shut down all the anti-vaccine and conspiracy groups that have England's blog posted on the internet.

I must not get cynical about human stupidity.
I must not get cynical about human stupidity.
I must not get cynical about human stupidity.
I must not get cynical about human stupidity.
I must not get cynical about human stupidity.

[Arnicanetwork]

I am wondering how long the symptoms of mass hysteria lasts?

The children taken to a hospital in Tunisia are still not well enough to return home.

http://www.tolerance.ca/Article.aspx?ID=157421&L=en

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