The Department of Health (DOH) is set to seek a full refund for the Philippine government's purchase of vaccine Dengvaxia worth P 3.5 billion from Paris-based drug manufacturer Sanofi Pasteur.
This comes after the pharmaceutical company recently announced its vaccine may cause severe reactions to persons who were immunized even if they have not contracted dengue.
Health Secretary Francisco Duque made the statement during the press briefing in Malacañang.
He also said PHILHEALTH will pay for the hospitalization and medical treatments of school children who might get sick as a result of having received shots of Dengvaxia.
He also added that the DOH has created a task force that will monitor the conditions of the kids in the next five years.
Over 733,000 public school children had been vaccinated with Dengvaxia since government launched its immunization program in 2016.
The kids were aged 9 to 10 years old and were studying in Metro Manila, Calabarzon and Central Luzon.
The DOH at that time held immunization programs even before the World Health Organization (WHO) released the guidelines on the use of Dengvaxia.