President Rodrigo Duterte’s daughter Veronica, 14, and his grandchild Sabina, 11, were injected with the anti-dengue vaccine Dengvaxia under the controversial P3.5-billion school immunization program initiated by the Aquino administration, a top Palace official said Wednesday.
The President’s daughter-in-law January also received a shot, said Special Assistant to the President Cristopher Go.
Go said they are still finding out if the three members of the presidential family have experienced the negative effects of the vaccine.
The Department of Health suspended the Dengvaxia program in December 2016 after its manufacturer, Sanofi, announced that the vaccine could increase the risk of severe dengue in people who had not contracted the disease in the past.
As of May 15, 2018, 87 children vaccinated with Dengvaxia have died. Of these, 11 died of dengue, but the government has yet to establish that Dengvaxia caused the death of these children.
Duterte has ordered the creation of an independent panel of experts to look into the controversy following conflicting official reports on deaths allegedly caused by Dengvaxia.
Former President Benigno Aquino III and other former government officials have been charged over the Dengvaxia fiasco.
In Congress, Camarines Sur Rep. Luis Villafuerte hit the Health department for its failure to connect with the families of those who have been vaccinated with Dengvaxia.
Villafuerte raised the issue during the House committee on appropriations’ deliberation Tuesday on the DoH’s proposed supplemental budget for medical aid for those who have been vaccinated.
Health Undersecretary Rolando Domingo, who attended the hearing in behalf of Secretary Francisco Duque III, said there were already Dengvaxia fast lanes in public hospitals and in the regional offices, they had a Dengvaxia officer in charge of coordinating.
Villafuerte said that while Congress is committed to appropriate funds to address the Dengvaxia mess, he expressed concerns that the assistance might not reach the ground at the proper time because of a disconnect between the DoH and the victims.
When Domingo mentioned the Dengvaxia hotline, Villafuerte said: “I have been calling but nobody was answering.”
“What I am saying is, if you are targeting over 800,000 Dengvaxia beneficiaries, it is really hard. It is not just enough that you have a call or text hotline. The people need a hotline that that they can text and you will text them back,” Villafuerte said.
In April 2016, the Philippines became the first country in the world to launch a mass anti-dengue inoculation program using Dengvaxia.
The program was suspended after the vaccine manufacturer, French pharmaceutical giant Sanofi Pasteur, admitted in November 2017 that children who have never had dengue but were given Dengvaxia shots have an increased risk of a severe case and hospitalization from the third year after immunization.
Domingo said some 87 children out of the 891,000 vaccinees have already died.
Duque on Wednesday said the P1.6 billion refund for the unused vaccines from Sanofi would benefit all Dengvaxia-affected recipients, including their families.
“We deeply commend the members of the Appropriations Committee of House of Representatives, through the able and active leadership of Representative Carlos Nograles for the recent approval of the proposed medical funds intended for Dengvaxia recipients. The amount was successfully refunded by the DoH from Sanofi Pasteur from the unused Dengvaxia vials,” he said.
Some 81 percent of the funds will go to medical assistance, while 13 percent will be for public health management, Duque said. Human resource for health development would account for 6 percent, he said.
The Health Assistance Fund, amounting to more than P900 millio, is intended for Dengvaxia recipients developing any illnesses who may need to be confined or who may seek consultation in any hospital.
In terms of public health management, a total of 1,250 nurses will be hired for three months to focus on profiling, monitoring and disseminating information and coordinating all actions of those who have been vaccinated, including their parents, to all existing health facilities and at the same time, manning hotlines for public queries.
In the affected regions of Central Luzon, National Capital Region, Calabarzon, and Central Visayas, particularly in Cebu Province, Duque said, 382 nurses will be hired as health education and promotion officers.
“They will be deployed continuously until 2019 charged to the regular funds of the Health Department. They will be tasked to provide counseling, lectures, monitoring and following up of [the] concerns [of those who have received the vaccine].”
