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Friday, March 29, 2024

Dengvaxia victim’s kin make 5th criminal case

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ANOTHER family on Thursday filed the fifth criminal complaint before the Justice department against Health Secretary Francisco Duque, former Health Secretary Janette Garin and 35 others people in connection with the death of a 13-year old girl who had been inoculated with the controversial Dengvaxia vaccine.

Assisted by Public Attorney’s Office chief Persida Rueda-Acosta, the victim’s family filed a complaint for reckless imprudence resulting in homicide against the respondent over the death of Abbie Hedia, 13, from Muntinlupa City.

Also included as respondents in the complaint were Maria Lourdes Santiago and Melody Zamudio.

Meanwhile, Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon is the third senator to object to Blue Ribbon committee chairman Senator Richard Gordon’s Dengvaxia Report, which declared former President Benigno Aquino III and other officials of the previous administration allegedly liable in the P3.5-billion Dengvaxia controversy.

Drilon cast his dissenting vote to the draft committee report. He did not concur with the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee’s report that recommended the filing of charges against Aquino, former Health Secretary Janette Garin and former Budget Secretary Florencio Abad, among others, over the purchase and administration of the Dengvaxia vaccine.

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“Upon careful review of the draft report, I would like to inform you that I disagree with its findings, conclusions and recommendations,” Drilon said in a letter to Gordon on Thursday.

Acosta said Duque was included in the complaint because the inoculation of Hedia happened on November 2017 when Duque was Health secretary. 

“We have no bad intention on anyone. We just want to provide justice to the families of those who died after being immunized,” Acosta said.

The PAO forensic team led by Erwin Erfe said Hedia died on Feb. 10 due to multiple organ failure and extensive brain hemorrhage.

The PAO filed the charges after its forensic teams established that all five victims died of organ failures that could be attributed to the vaccine.

Vaccine manufacturer Sanofi Pasteur Inc. and distributor Zuellig Pharma Corp. were also included as respondents in each of the complaints.

Earlier, Acosta said the National Bureau of Investigation was conducting its own investigation into the P3.5-billion procurement of Dengvaxia.

“The DOJ divided the task for the PAO and the NBI. Our investigation focused on death and illnesses while the NBI was assigned to look into the procurement aspect,” she said.

Among those being looked into by the NBI is the possible liability of Aquino and Abad who both approved the funding of the immunization program reportedly without undergoing proper procurement procedures.

The preliminary investigation of the case has been set on April 20.

The Health department suspended the vaccination program in December 2017 after Sanofi Pasteur said the vaccine posed risk to those with no prior dengue infection.

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