American pastor gives bleach as 'miracle cure' for malaria and HIV to over 50,000 poor Ugandans
A New Jersey pastor allegedly gave over 50,000 Ugandans a concoction made from industrial strength bleach as a "miracle cure" for malaria and HIV/AIDS.
Poor Ugandans were lured by 52-year-old Pastor Robert Baldwin and 25-year-old Sam Little, a former clairvoyant from England who co-sponsored the project, to try the so-called MMS (Miracle Mineral Solution), according to a Daily Mail report.
The report stated that people and infants were administered doses of Chlorine dioxide — a noxious chemical substance that can cause vomiting, diarrhea, nausea, and lead to severe dehydration. Baldwin had trained some 1,200 clerics to treat the faithful with MMS — which he is shipping in bulk to Uganda — after Sunday sermons. What's more? The pastor is also rewarding those who are "committed" to the project by offering smartphones, according to The Guardian.
Fiona O'Leary, a campaigner for Global Healing in Baldwin's ministry told The Guardian that Baldwin once confided in her that he distributed MMS through the church in order to "stay under the radar".
"When you draw attention to MMS you run the risk of getting into trouble with the government or drug companies," Baldwin reportedly told O'Leary. "You have to do it low key. That’s why I set it up through the church." Furthermore, he reportedly told her he evaded online algorithms which could detect MMS by calling it "healing water" instead. The pastor, who is said to have little medical expertise, said babies were administered a half dose and that it caused no harm, just some diarrhea.
However, Baldwin has strongly denied claims made by The Guardian. Speaking to NJ.com, he claimed he had to shut down his social media accounts and website because "people are calling me Satan". He added, "All I wanted to do is help people using natural healing therapies."
During his conversation with the outlet, he denied ever giving doses of fake medicine. Instead, he said, "I just educate. I don’t treat anybody."
In a conversation with The Guardian, Little, Baldwin's English supporter, said he had spent $30,000 building a home for Ugandan children and donated $10,000 to Baldwin's ministry for charitable causes.
"Somebody in my family was cured of cancer with MMS," Little told the paper. "I started researching online and saw more and more videos of people being cured. That’s when I decided to test it myself on malaria and traveled to Africa."
Addressing concerns, the FDA released a statement: "The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is warning consumers not to take Miracle Mineral Solution, an oral liquid also known as 'Miracle Mineral Supplement' or 'MMS'. The product, when used as directed, produces an industrial bleach that can cause serious harm to health. The FDA has received several reports of health injuries from consumers using this product, including severe nausea, vomiting, and life-threatening low blood pressure from dehydration. Consumers who have MMS should stop using it immediately and throw it away. MMS is distributed on Internet sites and online auctions by multiple independent distributors. Although the products share the MMS name, the look of the labeling may vary."