The allegation is serious: Government-provided vaccines have allegedly killed or disabled dozens of children in Shanxi province.

The media expos of a possibly explosive scandal has forced upon "competent authorities" the duty of clarifying this mess. It is not a mere matter of government credibility. It involves dozens of lives, and may affect many more.

But the department's statement has done little to quiet down voices and has sunk authorities deeper in the whirlwind of public mistrust. Families of the victims question the way the official conclusion was made.

The Ministry of Public Health has ordered an investigation. Since this scandal allegedly involves a chain of corruption linked to the vaccine supplier, as well as the provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the DPH and the ministry, we can't rely on public health authorities to be innocent in this. The DPH conclusion was in itself a response to the ministry's order for a probe.

Hope is now being shifted to a third party, but who will that be? Not the local judiciary, at least at this point.

Taking their cases to court has been explored by the victims' families, but the local courts have consistently declined to place their cases on file. Nobody has bothered to explain why. And families trying to bring their stories to the higher authorities have received threatening messages or phone calls.

How will this scandal resolve? Will the cases of alleged abuse end up being brushed under the carpet because political games are afoot?

(China Daily 03/23/2010 page8)