The House of Representatives reopened the investigation on the Dengvaxia controversy today, as a nationwide health scare triggered by end of 2017 did not look like it would soon ebb.
Gabriela Women’s Partylist Representative Arlene Brosas shared her group’s findings from their hotline and caravan that sought out children who were vaccinated with Dengvaxia, now known to have severe or fatal side effects to those who have not contracted dengue previous to vaccination.
Severe symptoms
Brosas said that parents reported symptoms of those who received Dengvaxia included high recurring fever, feeling weak, stomachache, dizziness, loss of weight, rashes, vomiting, bleeding, loss of hearing and failing eyesight among others.
There are those who reported that their children contracted dengue after receiving the vaccine.
Parents reported feelings of fear, stress, trauma and anger over the Dengvaxia fiasco.
No orientation, waiver, DMC, master list
Parents also said that they were not given an orientation or there was no information drive on the vaccine before it was administered to their children.
Some parents also reported that they did not sign a waiver that should have been a requirement prior to administering vaccine to the minors, while some parents said they did not receive a Department of Health (DOH) monitoring card that would inform them that their children received the vaccine. These parents are those among who are unsure whether their children received the vaccine.
Parents also inquired about the master list that the DOH and other concerned government agencies should produce promptly, especially for those who are unsure whether their child was vaccinated.
Schools, through which the mass inoculation was channeled, refused to disclose information on a master list or to confirm if children of parents who inquired were part of the master list.
Stemming from the concern on the existence of a master list, parents then would like to find out what government assistance would their children receive should there be no master list or they could not produce a DOH monitoring card, Brosas relayed.
No services yet?
Brosas reported that parents who proceeded to the health centers to ask what they should do were told to wait for the DOH’s mandate. There are yet actions or services to be provided for those who experience unexplained symptoms post-Dengvaxia.
Brosas said the parents also wondered whether there are services to be catered to their children in the meantime, like provision of supplements.
Hospitals attended to children with Dengvaxia complaints in the emergency rooms, but were only given medicine prescriptions and lab test requests, all at the expense of the parents or families. There are also clinics and hospitals that still do not have special lanes for Dengvaxia complaints.
Parents also inquired what help could be given to those who do not have Philhealth cards. Health expenses coverage through the Philhealth was among the first few responses of the DOH when the controversy broke out, while some observed it was the same as the usual dengue coverage.
DOH Undersecretary Rolando Enrique Domingo, in response to concerns raised by Brosas, said that hospitals already have green lanes, those who were not in the master list may proceed to the DOH municipal offices to be added to the list, those who are not Philhealth members would be accorded the same privileges as members and that the DOH already have given funds to hospitals to augment payment for expenses that Philhealth would not cover.
Special cases
Brosas requested the DOH to look into some special cases of a seven-week pregnant woman and a seven-year old kid who were vaccinated. Upon further inquiries of other House members, Domingo confirmed they have heard of the case of the seven-year old who was immunized, in violation of the program’s intent to give the vaccine to children nine years old and above.
“There have been reports, vina-validate namin. May mga [immunization] program na ‘di community based, baka may overzealous health workers na may binakunahan labas sa target, baka sa mga kamag-anak nila.” said Domingo.
[There have been reports, we are still validating them. There were immunization programs that were not community-based, maybe some overzealous health workers who gave the vaccine to those outside the target, might be to their relatives.]
Domingo said 870,000 received Dengvaxia as part of the government’s mass immunization program.
Brosas lamented that the government has yet to help these affected families who already have little money for food that they now have to spend for medicine.
Brosas said they have gathered data on as many as 500 cases from areas in Metro Manila, Southern Tagalog (Cavite, Laguna, Mindoro), Central Luzon, Cebu and Mindanao (General Santos) from the period of December 19 to January 19. Around 95% of these cases were from working class or poor families.
Refund, assistance, indemnification, accountability
As the House probe continued, Nueva Ecija Rep. Estrelita Suansing recommended to the DOH to file criminal charges against Sanofi Pasteur, manufacturer of Dengvaxia, in light of three deaths directly associated with Dengvaxia.
Thomas Triomphe, head of Sanofi Pasteur, expressed in the hearing the company’s refusal for a full refund of P 3.5 billion the Philippine government spent for Dengvaxia, saying that doing so would give the message that the vaccine is ineffective which he said is not the case. They have agreed earlier only to refund P 1.16 billion for the unused vaccine doses. The French pharmaceutical giant also refused to share for an indemnification or compensation fund, saying it is too early and that they are still willing to complete the vaccination program in cooperation with the DOH.
Today’s probe also revealed the funds used for the mass immunization program in question were sourced from then-president Benigno Aquino III’s special purpose funds and that Sanofi’s Dengvaxia was not registered with Europe’s Food and Drug administration.
