Parents allege kids died after Dengvaxia shots
The Public Attorney’s Office (PAO) and the Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption ( VACC) yesterday alleged that two girls died of severe dengue after they had been inoculated with the anti-dengue vaccine Dengvaxia.
In a press conference, PAO chief Persida Rueda-Acosta and VACC chairman Dante Jimenez presented the parents of Anjielica Pestilos and Christine Mae De Guzman, both 10.
Acosta said that parents of Christine, Nelson and Marivic de Guzman, have already executed an affidavit.
In their affidavit, the De Guzman couple said Christine received a shot of Dengvaxia on April 16, 2016 through a school vaccination project at Sisiman Elementary School.
“Habang kinukunan kami ng impormasyon, sinabihan kami pasalamat kayo binigyan tayo ng gobyerno ng libreng anti-dengue vaccine. Sa private (hospital) po kasi may bayad na mahal aabot ng P4,500 to P5,000 (While we were being asked for information, we were told that we should be thankful to the government because the anti-dengue vaccine is free. In private hospitals, it would cost P4,500 to P5,000.),” read the affidavit.
Six months later, or on Oct. 11, 2016, Christine came down with high fever.
After two days, the girl complained of severe stomach pain. She was then taken to the Mariveles Health Service Cooperative Hospital, where she was diagnosed with dengue fever.
As her condition worsened, De Guzman was transferred to the Intensive Care Unit of the Bataan Provincial Hospital where she had a blood transfusion.
She also complained of difficulty breathing. Christine died on Oct. 15, 2016.
Acosta said Anjielica Pestilos died just last December 6 at the East Avenue Medical Center in Quezon City.
“Dalawang kaso itong inimbestigahan ng forensic laboratory (The forensic laboratory is investigating these two cases),” said PAO forensic laboratory chief, Dr. Erwin Erfe.
“In both cases, the victims never suffered previous dengue exposure, both were vaccinated with Dengvaxia, and have died of severe dengue,” he said in Filipino.
The clinical abstract of Pestilos, however, showed a diagnosis of lupus erythematosus,
Erfe said they were reviewing her clinical abstract.
Like Christine, Erfe said Anjelica had no previous exposure to dengue.
“When we reviewed her clinical abstract, there is a manifestation that Anjelica died of severe hemorrhagic dengue,” Erfe said during the press conference.
He said the child has edema, rashes, bleeding and low platelet and WBC count.
“Merong manifestation na severe hemorrhagic dengue itong batang ito (She manifested severe hemorrhagic dengue),” he explained.
Meanwhile, women’s group Gabriela launched “Dengvaxia Watch” and hotlines, where parents of children immunized with Dengvaxia can report to.
The hotlines are as follows: landline - (02) 3535077; Globe - 0977-6274755; Smart - 09083653366; Facebook - Dengvaxia Watch; and email - dengvaxia. watch@gmail.com.
According to Gabriela, these hotlines aim to monitor the health conditions of the more than 700,000 public school children who received the first of three doses anti-dengue vaccine Dengvaxia.
Dengvaxia is the world’s first licensed vaccine against dengue fever, a deadly mosquito borne disease. It may be administered to individuals aged 9 to 45.
Administration of Dengvaxia in the Philippines, however, has been suspended since December 1 in light of new findings by manufacturer Sanofi Pasteur that it may cause severe dengue in individuals who have not contracted dengue prior to vaccination,
The Senate, House of Representatives and the Department of Justice, through the National Bureau of Investigation, are now investigating the P3.5-billion dengue vaccination program of the Department of Health.