U.S. Denies Cuban Scientist Visa

A Cuban scientist who helped develop a low-cost meningitis and pneumonia vaccine for children was denied entry into the United States to attend an awards ceremony because the State Department would not issue him a visa.

Vicente Verez-Bencomo was scheduled to accept an award recognizing his team's technological achievement at a ceremony Wednesday at the San Jose Tech Museum of Innovation.

The museum puts on the event every year to recognize individuals or groups who use technology to improve the environment, economy, education, equality and health.

A state department spokesman declined to discuss why Verez-Bencomo was not permitted to enter the United States, citing a policy prohibiting comment on individual visa cases.

Verez-Bencomo led a team that developed a vaccine for Haemophilus influenza type B, also known as Hib, a bacteria that causes meningitis and pneumonia. The diseases kill up to 700,000 children worldwide each year.

The synthetic vaccine created by Verez-Bencomo's team can be produced at a relatively low cost. More than one million doses have been administered to Cubans, and Science Magazine last month noted the vaccine "may someday save millions of lives."

Museum officials said they were disappointed with the decision.

"We recognized them for cutting-edge technology and wish he could be here to accept this," said Tony Santos, a museum spokesman. "We wish that hadn't been the government's decision."