Official questions efficacy of dengue vaccine

MANILA: A senior health official on Wednesday questioned the proposed return on the use of a banned controversial vaccine to help stop the spread of the dreaded mosquito-borne dengue disease which has just been declared a national epidemic.

Health Undersecretary Eric Domingo clarified that Dengvaxia, the controversial product of a French pharmaceutical giant was not “an appropriate response” to stop the alarming increase of dengue cases in the country.

“Dengvaxia is not intended as a response to a dengue outbreak. It can only be applied especially to children who already contracted the ailment,” Domingo told GMA News in a mix of Filipino and English.

The government has stopped the use of Dengvaxia in its mass dengue immunization programme involving milions of schoolchildren, due mainly to reports that some reportedly died ater they were vaccinated.

Health officials admited that the reported deaths prompted many parents to stop their children from being vaccinated not only by Dengvaxia but also also against childhood diseases like measles and diptheria.

The possible return and use of Dengavaxia came ater the declaration of a national dengue epidemic on Tuesday in a full meeting of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC)

Officials said the decision was reached after the Department of Health reported that it monitored a total of 146,062 dengue cases from January to July 20 this, year which represented a 98 percent jump from the cases recorded for the same period in 2018.

But more alarming was that the death toll from the ailment which strikes mostly children has soared to 622, Health Secretary Francisco Duque told the meeting as he pointed out: “It is important that the national epidemic be declared...to identify where a localized response is needed.”

“This will also enable the local government units,” Duque added, “to use their Quick Response Fund to address the epidemic situation.”