Makati monitoring 27,600 who received Dengvaxia

The Makati City government is monitoring the condition of more than 27,600 students and employees who received shots of the anti-dengue vaccine Dengvaxia after its manufacturer, Sanofi Pasteur, recently bared that the vaccine may be harmful to those who have not acquired the dengue virus.

Aside from suspending the city’s anti-dengue vaccination program following orders from the Department of Health (DOH), Makati Mayor Abigail Binay also said she has instructed Makati Health Department (MHD) officer-in-charge Dr. Bernard Sese to coordinate with the Department of Education (DepEd)-Makati and closely monitor the condition of students who were given the vaccines.

An official of the city government told the Manila Bulletin that a total of 27,604 students and employees have already received Dengvaxia shots since the city-wide anti-dengue vaccination program was launched last August 14.

“The best thing we can do right now is to closely monitor the health of students as well as employees who received the anti-dengue vaccines. We will track down everyone who has been vaccinated and monitor their condition for any developments,” Binay said.

Binay said the city government received about 65,000 units of anti-dengue vaccines from the DOH and mobilized doctors and nurses to cover all health centers as well as public elementary schools and high schools in Makati.

“There are still several public high schools which have not received the anti-dengue vaccine. The schedules for these schools have been postponed indefinitely until DOH releases an advisory,” Dr. Sese said.

Last Wednesday, Sanofi Pasteur released a statement saying the drug may be harmful when administered to individuals not previously infected with dengue. It said that there is a possibility that individuals who have not been infected by the dengue virus but received Dengvaxia shots will get “severe dengue.”

According to various reports, the Philippines was the first country in Asia to approve the dengue vaccine for individuals aged between nine and 45 in December 2015.

Meanwhile, the Makati Health Department noted that the vaccination drive for Japanese Encephalitis for both city government employees and public school students will continue.

The city government launched on Monday a vaccination drive against Japanese Encephalitis which will cover public school students from Kinder to Grade 6 and city government employees.