Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II has disclosed that a government official is willing to cooperate in the ongoing probe into the controversial P3.5-billion dengue immunization program of the Department of Health.
Aguirre, however, did not name the official so as not to jeopardize or preempt the testimony, saying he would meet the person soon after the holiday break.
Aguirre said the official has volunteered to cooperate with the fact-finding probe of the National Bureau of Investigation aimed at determining the civil and criminal liabilities of officials behind the Dengvaxia vaccine.
“This government official is a very, very important witness who knows the transaction from the beginning to end,” he said.
Aguirre ordered NBI Director Dante Gierran to “conduct investigation and case build up over the alleged danger to public health arising from the P3.5-billion anti-dengue vaccination drive of the DoH and Sanofi Pasteur and if evidence so warrants, to file appropriate charges thereon.”
Aguirre tasked the NBI to submit a status report on their investigation regarding the issue, but did not give the NBI a definite timeframe.
He said the probe would look into whether government officials should be held liable for the seemingly rushed procurement of the vaccine and the immunization of more than 700,000 children.
Aguirre said among those who would be investigated for possible culpabilities includes former President Benigno Aquino III, who gave the go-signal for the DoH to proceed with the vaccination project in 2016.
Also poised to be investigated is former Health secretary Janette Garin, who insisted on implementing the project despite strong objections from medical experts due to lack of certification from the World Health Organization.
Aguirre also told Bureau of Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente to instruct all immigration officers in the country’s airports and seaports to be on the lookout to prevent attempts of Aquino and others to leave the country.
Placed under the Immigration Lookout Bulletin Order were Garin, former Budget Secretary Florencio Abad, former Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa, Guillaume Leroy, Olivier Brandicourt, Ruby Dizon, Thomas Triomphe and Carlito Realuyo.
Aguirre issued an ILBO after militant group Gabriela and parents of children injected with anti-dengue vaccine Dengvaxia filed graft charges before the Office of the Ombudsman.
Aguirre said that considering the gravity of the charges, there is a “strong probability” that the persons may leave the country.
“We thus deem the issuance of an ILBO against the subject persons prudent in order to at least monitor the itineraries of their flight, travel, and/or whereabouts,” Aguirre said.
A person subject to an ILBO can still leave the country subject to conditions and requirements, including clearance from the Justice department.
An ILBO is different from a court-issued hold departure order (HDO), since the former only directs the BI to be on the lookout for the subject and to verify the status of a case against the subject person and not to restrict an individual from leaving the country.
Pharmaceutical giant Sanofi Pasteur recently issued an advisory to the public that its product Dengvaxia is effective for people who have had dengue prior to immunization but creates a risk of a “severe” case of dengue for people who have not had dengue.
Meanwhile, the Department of Health is set to convene a panel of independent dengue experts within the week to review the data on the controversial anti-dengue vaccine Dengvaxia.
The health department said it would the data from Sanofi Pasteur on its five-year observation period in clinical trials.
The panel will also look into the post-marketing surveillance of the Food and Drug Administration and the DOH Epidemiology Bureau’s surveillance of adverse events following the immunization program.
Also tapped to conduct an independent investigation are representatives from the University of the Philippines-Philippine General Hospital (UP-PGH) on the deaths caused by the dengue vaccine.
Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said that the department decided to convene the panel based on the latest update from the World Health Organization.
The “the five-year follow up data provides evidence of reduced risk of severe dengue and hospitalization overall among vaccinated trial participants,” Duque said.
“It also confirmed an earlier hypothesis that those vaccinated with no prior dengue infection could be at higher risk of more severe dengue and hospitalizations,” he added.
“This risk persisted about five years after the first dose,” Duque noted.
The DOH will also submit all documents requested by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) related to the ongoing case on Dengvaxia once executive offices reopen on December 27.
Duque also emphasized that the DOh will focus the more important concerns of parents, teachers and local government units emanating from the administration of the dengue vaccine to more than 830,000 children which began in April 2016.
He said that the DOH continues to refine the response and action plan in the Dengue Task Force to ensure the safety and best health outcomes for children who were vaccinated through heightened monitoring and surveillance, effective management of adverse events following immunization, activation of the dengue fast lanes in public hospitals and truthful and timely risk communication to the public.
He added that the DOH is committed to monitor the health of all the vaccinated children in the long run.
The agency also assured to take responsibility for medical care should there be an adverse event that could be related to the dengue vaccine.
The DOH added that it also supports the initiatives of the legislature in safeguarding the science-based decision-making and procurement process of the DOH especially for vital health programs such as the Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI).
With regard to the various ongoing investigations being conducted by the Department of Justice (DOJ) and both houses of Congress on the propriety of the dengue vaccine purchase, Duque called for all concerned sectors to allow the investigating bodies to do their jobs without being subject to censure, criticism, and accusations borne largely out of unfounded speculation and suspicion.
“We leave it to the appropriate courts to conduct their own independent investigation and to determine whether all the legal requirements were satisfactorily met in the purchase of the Dengvaxia vaccine.
Duque said that for now, the DOH is heavily immersed in efforts to attend to public concerns on the dengue vaccine and determine the proper course of action to take in managing the over-all situation.
“We shall also put in place the necessary measures to ensure the observance of proper procedures in the introduction of new vaccines into our public health programs,” he said.
From the moment concern was raised on Dengvaxia due to the public disclosure made by Sanofi on November 29, Duque said that the Department of Health has been transparent to all sanctioned investigatory bodies who were given full access to pertinent data. Secretary Duque wishes that all agencies and individuals associated with these issues would extend the same cooperation.
The DOH Secretary said, however, that the most important matter to address at this time is ensuring the health and well-being of the children who received doses of Dengvaxia as part of the pilot effort.
He said that presently, all systems are in place at DOH healthcare facilities in the regions covered by the dengue vaccination to monitor report and manage any suspected adverse event. Risk communication initiatives have also kicked off in affected communities to inform parents and caregivers of vaccinated children on what signs and symptoms to look out for and where to seek consultation.
“I am absolutely certain that we can all appreciate a better outcome if we all agreed to move forward and cooperated with each other in the task of ensuring the health of the populace,” he said.