ALMOST 2,000 people injected with the anti-dengue vaccine Dengvaxia were taken to the hospital after contracting dengue in the past two years, the Health department said Friday.
Health Undersecretary Enrique Domingo said 1,967 people who had been injected with the vaccine were hospitalized after contracting dengue from March 2016 to March 2018.
The figure is part of the 3,281 Dengvaxia vaccinees who were hospitalized due to various illnesses.
“Of the 3,281 patients who reported showing serious adverse events following immunization, 1,967 or almost 2,000 were found to have contracted dengue,” Domingo told reporters.
He said this was confirmed through clinical and serological testing.
The others contracted viral infections, influenza-like illnesses, pneumonia and acute gastroenteritis.
The government’s nationwide dengue immunization program was suspended in December following the admission of drug-maker Sanofi Pasteur that its Dengvaxia vaccine might cause more severe dengue symptoms if given to those who had never contracted the mosquito-borne disease.
The Health department has urged the Senate to bring to justice those responsible for the P3.5-billion Dengvaxia vaccine mess as it initially allocated P20 million to the four regions covered by the immunization program as an initial financial augmentation to the Dengue Assistance Program of the department’s regional offices.
In a statement, the department said it welcomes the draft report of the investigation on the dengue vaccination program.
“We are one with the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee in bringing those responsible to justice,” the department said.
Secretary Francisco Duque III said his order from day one had been “to assist investigations aimed at determining gaps in processes and the culpability of officials in rolling out the dengue vaccination program.”
He said the department’s resources were focused on providing accessible health care to more than 800,000 children who received the vaccine since the beginning of the program in 2016.
The department said it had provided medical assistance to thousands of children who reported showing signs of adverse effects following their injection with the dengue vaccine.
Based on the department’s Dengue Adverse Events Surveillance, 3,281 Dengvaxia vaccinees were reported to have been hospitalized for various illnesses covering the period March 2016 to March 2018.
The more than 3,200 vaccinees were treated in various public and private hospitals. The department had previously announced that the expenses directly involved with their hospitalization would be shouldered by it.
“The [department] will shoulder the cost of their treatment through PhilHealth. The remaining expenses will be paid through the [department’s] Medical Assistance for the Indigent Program,” Domingo said.
The department said it had initially sub-alloted P20 million to the four regions covered by the immunization program as an initial financial augmentation to the Dengue Assistance Program of its regional offices.
