Blame game on vaccine

THE search for who should take the rap for the distribution of the dengue vaccine has started. Blame is being passed on from Health officials to a former president.

It is important to know who should account for the rash implementation of the P3.5-billion dengue vaccination program of the Department of Health (DOH) that is endangering the health of recipients, but playing the blame game will not fix the pr obl em.

The DOH is requiring that the pharmaceutical giant Sanofi Pasteur refund the government following reports that its vaccine is more of a risk than prevention. The Health department had stopped the vaccination program after a new analysis by the pharmaceutical company showed the vaccine, Dengvaxia, causes severe dengue fever to those who have not been previously infected with the virus.

Aside from targeting Sanofi Pasteur, the government is looking into the accountability of former health secretary Janette Garin and former president Benigno Aquino III. It was during Garin’s time and the Aquino administration when the vaccination program was started. Some sectors said Garin and Aquino met with representatives of the pharmaceutical company and pushed the program despite warnings from health experts.

Former health secretary Enrique Ona issued a statement expressing surprise when he found out that the government had purchased the vaccine. He said, “In the light of the Sanofi Pasteur advisory on the use of the anti-dengue vacci ne Dengvaxia, the leadership that took over the DOH after I left on December 20, 2014 is solely responsible for all the decisions that has resulted in what is becoming to be a major health nightmare in the country today.” He said he didn’t use the vaccine during his time because the Sanofi Pasteur could not categorically state the vaccine was ready for general use then.

The next step in the investigation is to look for persons to blame for making shortcuts or for benefiting somehow from the program. But the blame game would not be enough to correct the system. Solutions to the vaccine mess should consider the Health department’s procurement procedures and rules before any new drug could be mass distributed. A deeper review of internal procedures is a requirement before any vaccination program will be resorted to by the Health department.

— Nini B. Cabaero