At UN,
Few Answers by
BMGF on
Vaccination
Sickening 38
Chadian
Children
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
February 28 –
Earlier this
year,
following an
investigation
into 38
Chadian
children
harmed by a
meningitis
vaccination
campaign done
wrong,
questions were
raised about
the Bill and
Melinda Gates
Foundation
that were, at
that time, not
answered.
Chad's
Health
Minister
Mamouth Nahor
NGawara said
diplomatically
that “during
the last phase
of the
vaccination
campaign
organized at
Gouro on
December 11 to
15, 2012,
unusual
reactions were
noted.”
Unusual to say
the least:
seven children
were taken out
of the country
for treatment
in Tunisia.
The
question was
raised: “What
part does the
Bill and
Melinda Gates
Foundation
(BMGF) play
within the
campaign? Who
is responsible
for
administering
the funds
provided by
the BMGF?”
With
no answered,
when the UN
Department of
Public
Information
sent out
invitations to
a February 28
briefing by
Dr. Chris
Elias,
President of
the Bill &
Melinda Gates
Foundations’
Global
Development
Program, Inner
City Press
signed up.
Even
though
subsequently a
UN Security
Council
meeting about
Mali got
scheduled at
the same time,
Inner City
Press left
covering it
and went up to
a glassed-in
conference
room in the
UN's renovated
headquarters
building.
A
number of Bill
& Melinda
Gates
Foundation
staffers
accompanied
Chris Elias,
who spoke for
example about
an upcoming
event in the
United Arab
Emirates which
he said
Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon will
attend, to
praise
donations from
the UAE.
The spokesman
said Ban was
aware of it,
but there is
no indication
that Ban
raised it in
his meetings
with the UAE
ruling
family.)
When
UN Department
of Public
Information
official
Stephane
Dujarric
called on
Inner City
Press to ask a
question at
this on the
record
briefing,
Inner City
Press asked
about the
vaccination
problems in
Chad.
BMGF's
Dr. Elias
replied that
he was aware
of the
meningitis
vaccination
campaign in
Chad (and
twenty other
countries in
the Meningitis
Belt), but
said he was
not aware of
this case. Video here.
Off
camera a
staffer said
he was aware,
that some
“government”
action led to
illness and
promised to
send more
information to
Inner City
Press, which
gave the
staffer all
the contact
information.
Fifteen
hours
later, no
information
has been
provided. From
Mr. Dujarric
came a letter
complaining
about Inner
City Press'
reporting - click
here for more
on that.
The UN's
recent
dismissal of
the legal
claim it
brought
cholera into
Haiti, killing
8000 people,
leaves the UN
with little
credibility as
a defender of
any people
made sick. In
this
situation,
which side do
you think the
UN is on?
An honest UN
official, John
Ging, this
week told
Inner City
Press that the
claim
dismissal
harms the UN's
"corporate
reputation."
This is a
small example
of how. There
will be many
more.
BMGF's
Dr. Elias
mentioned the
“Path”
program. But
among the
questions
raised has
been whether
“Is the way in
which PATH
Intl. still
promotes the
campaign to
solicit funds
without
reflecting on
the recent
happenings
still
helpful?”
These
questions
should be
answered. This
is called
reporting.
Watch this
site.
Footnote:
Recently UN
DPI has set up
on the record
"brown bag"
sessions with,
for example,
the UN's
expert on the
prevention of
genocide
(about Syria),
the
now gone head
of UN
Security,
a
UNHCR official
(about Syria,
all on the
record and
helpful.)
The February
27 session
felt
different,
perhaps
because a
non-UN entity
flush with
cash was
allowed,
essentially,
to advertise.
On February
22, UNCA
(a/k/a the
UN's
Censorship
Alliance)
similarly ran
a "press
conference"
which devolved
into an
advertisement
for the German
car company
BMW.
There,
questions
about
environmental
impact were
referred to
BMW. Will
these
questions be
answered?
Watch this
site.
, 
