The Aquino administration
and the Department of Health maneuvered a P3.5 billion budget for a vaccine
that now put 700,000 Filipino children at greater health risk. The decision of
the authorities to procure, approve its commercial release, and implement the
mass vaccination using Dengvaxia, all in haste, was based on political consideration and not
on sound science.
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| Gabriela organization member holds a placard in a protest action in front of the Department of Health. |
Health groups and
local experts have adamantly questioned all these beforehand but have fallen to
deaf ears. A year after implementation, clinical trial results revealed that
Dengvaxia causes severe dengue fever to those who have not contracted dengue
before.
The Aquino administration, former Health Secretary Janette Garin, DOH, and Sanofi must be held accountable for this deception. DOH must also address the fears that this blunder have unleashed. How should the vaccinated children be protected from now on? What measures will be done to monitor those at risk and provide them with the means of proper healthcare to mitigate the risks?
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| Protesters, whose children were vaccinated with Dengvaxia, burn an immage of former president Benigno Aquino at the gates of the Department of Health. |
The general notion
that vaccines are meant to protect a person from infection has been marred with
this withheld information on Dengvaxia that there is greater health risk for a
segment of the target population. Sanofi now tries to console the public saying
that around 80% to 90% of us may have had dengue and we were just not aware!
Now it is everybody's guessing game, with thousands of Filipino children
systematically put in harm's way.
To the parents and children: Do not panic! Ok lang magalit. Ask for explanations! Monitor the health advisories, and consult accordingly. Exercise your right to information and healthcare. Immunizations generally remain to be an important tool for prevention. Service and patient safety must guide the discovery and eventual use of new vaccines, not politics and profit motives. The Aquino administration, former health secretary Garin, and the institutions involved must be held accountable.##
To the parents and children: Do not panic! Ok lang magalit. Ask for explanations! Monitor the health advisories, and consult accordingly. Exercise your right to information and healthcare. Immunizations generally remain to be an important tool for prevention. Service and patient safety must guide the discovery and eventual use of new vaccines, not politics and profit motives. The Aquino administration, former health secretary Garin, and the institutions involved must be held accountable.##
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