By Tan Ee Lyn

HONG KONG, July 26 (Reuters) - Three children who suffered severe brain damage after being vaccinated against Japanese encephalitis had their case heard in a Chinese court on Thursday, casting the spotlight once again on the safety of China's drugs and food.

Ordinary citizens suing powerful state companies are rare in China and this case is especially sensitive as it calls into question the standards and safety of Chinese medicines.

"Our chances of winning are zero because our opponents are mighty, but we won't back down," said Yu Tongan, father of one of the three.

"As victims we have to stand up not only for ourselves but to tell the world such things are happening to us and many, many other children."

Passed by mosquitoes, Japanese encephalitis can result in paralysis, seizures, coma and death. It is endemic in most parts of Asia, and countries such as China, India, South Korea, Japan, Taiwan and Thailand control the disease with vaccines.

At the start of the two-day hearing, Tang Jingling, a lawyer representing the children and their families, told the court in Jiangmen city, in southern Guangdong province, how Liang Jiayi, a lively two-year-old, ran a high fever after she was given a vaccine shot in a government clinic in August 2003.

She fell into a coma four days later and when she came to, she was paralysed and has remained in a vegetative state.

The other two children, Tan Jieyi and Yu Ronghui, were vaccinated in Jiangmen in March 2005. Now 12 and 14 respectively, they can walk but are mentally retarded and have been refused places in school.

JUST BAD LUCK?

Defendants named in the lawsuit were vaccine manufacturer Chengdu Institute of Biological Products, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Xinhui district and Jiangmen.

"Treatments for all three children are ongoing and they hope to get compensation ... of around 1 million yuan ($132,200) each ... for their medical fees and disabilities," Tang told Reuters later.

Parents of the affected children had petitioned authorities in Beijing, southern Guangzhou city and even Hong Kong, but were arrested when they mounted a protest in Beijing's Tiananmen Square last year.

But now a court has agreed to hear their case, weeks after a senior Chinese official was executed for taking bribes and approving unsafe drugs.

The parents say they have asked for an explanation of what happened to their children, only to be told by officials that it was bad luck. China's Health Ministry told Reuters last year that there were no problems with the vaccines.

Rare complications happen with any kind of vaccine, especially when recipients have poor immunity or genetic defects.

But Tang said is this case there was a fairly large cluster of seven children in Jiangmen who were all injected in March 2005 -- raising questions over its quality.

Liang, now 6, and her parents were not in court but in Beijing, where she was recuperating from recent brain surgery.

"She was getting very frequent seizures and was constantly foaming in the mouth. We had to raise money to bring her here for surgery," her father, Liang Yongli, told Reuters by telephone.

"We want the state authorities that are responsible for this to cure her."

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