Dengvaxia mess causes public fear of all gov’t vaccines – DOH
An official from the Department of Health (DOH) has expressed alarm over the effect of the Dengvaxia controversy on government’s health programs, saying that many parents are already snubbing the agency’s initiatives due to fear of vaccines.
Health Undersecretary Enrique Domingo disclosed the vaccination rates are now suffering as many parents have started ignoring immunization programs, fearing that the vaccines being used could put their children’s lives at risk. The other public health programs are also being avoided.
“Our problem right now is that our health programs are suffering. Our local offices are calling us… even vaccination rates are suffering,” Domingo said.
The official cited the biannual deworming program of the DOH being held every January and July. He said this year’s first deworming has outcome was very low.
Vaccination programs for preventable illnesses like polio, measles, tetanus and diphteria are also taking a hit.
“We recently had a measles outbreak in Davao. We’re trying to make up for it but the vaccination rate is very low,” said Domingo.
From the ideal 85 percent to 90 percent immunization coverage of Filipino children, the coverage dropped to 60 percent.
Domingo attributed this to the panic caused by the Dengvaxia controversy, especially after the deaths of several children who were given the vaccine.
On Nov. 29, 2017, Sanofi Pasteur announced a “new finding” on its vaccine Dengvaxia, which was used in the government’s mass immunization program involving around 830,000 children.
“The analysis confirmed that Dengvaxia provides persistent protective benefit against dengue fever in those who had prior infection... For those not previously infected by dengue virus, however, the analysis found that in the longer term, more cases of severe disease could occur following vaccination upon a subsequent dengue infection,” Sanofi said.
To note, as of press time, the DOH has recorded 26 children who died after receiving the vaccine.
Stop autopsies A group of doctors, including a former Secretary of Health, urged yesterday the Department of Justice (DOJ) to order the Public Attorney’s Office (PAO) to stop doing autopsies on the bodies of Dengvaxia-vaccinated children.
In a statement sent to the press yesterday afternoon, the Doctors for Public Welfare (DPW) called on the DOJ to order the PAO to just leave the matter of determining the cause of death to “competent forensic pathologists.”
“In light of these findings by the pathologists of the Philippine General Hospital (PGH), it makes no sense for any more families to be subjected to the torture of having a loved one exhumed and cut up only to find out that no useful information was derived from the cruel act. We urge the Department of Justice to order the PAO to stop performing autopsies on these children and to leave the matter of determining the cause of death to competent forensic pathologists,” said the group, which includes former Department of Health (DOH) chief Esperanza Cabral.
On Friday, the PGH-Dengue Investigative Task Force (DITF) released the results of its review on the first 14 reported Dengvaxiaassociated deaths.
“The results of the investigation by the forensic pathologists at the Philippine General Hospital of the 14 children autopsied and who were originally claimed by [PAO forensic expert] Dr. [Erwin] Erfe of the Public Attorney’s Office as having died due to Dengvaxia have been released. None of the deaths of the 14 children autopsied were proven to be due to Dengvaxia,” the DPW stated.