Philippines orders probe into dengue vaccine for 730K kids
manila — The Philippines ordered a probe on Monday into the immunisation of more than 730,000 children with a vaccine for dengue that has been suspended following an announcement by French drug company Sanofi that it could worsen the disease in some cases.
A non-governmental organisation in the Philippines said it had received information that three children who were vaccinated with Dengvaxia in April 2016 had died, but Sanofi said no deaths had been reported as a result of the programme.
“As far as we know, as far as we are made aware, there are no reported
as far as we know, as far as we are made aware, there are no reported deaths that are related to dengue vaccination Ruby Dizon, medical director at Sanofi Pasteur Philippines
deaths that are related to dengue vaccination,” Ruby Dizon, medical director at Sanofi Pasteur Philippines, told a news conference in Manila.
Last week, the Philippines’ Department of Health halted the use of Dengvaxia after Sanofi said it must be strictly limited due to evidence it can worsen the disease in people not previously exposed to the infection.
In a statement issued in the Philippines, Sanofi explained the “new findings” but said the long-term safety evaluation of the vaccines showed significantly fewer hospitalisations due to dengue in vaccinated people over 9 years old compared with those who had not been vaccinated. Nearly 734,000 children aged 9 and over in the Philippines have received one dose of the vaccine as part of a programme that cost 3.5 billion pesos ($69.54 million). —