Senator Richard Gordon wants to turn the Philippines into the world’s “Dengue Fortress” by establishing the most advanced research and development program for dengue with funds from the P1.2-billion refund for the unused Dengvaxia vials.
He said the country can be the “beacon of hope” amid the dark moment posed by the dengue epidemic that has taken the Philippines and other countries in its grip.
He said testing facilities for dengue specialists can also be built in anticipation of the next dengue epidemic, which occurs in a cycle of three- to five-year intervals.
Funds for this could be sourced from the money returned by Sanofi Pasteur, French manufacturer of the vaccine.
With dengue fever being endemic to the country, he said the epidemic should be taken as an opportunity for the Philippines to become the dengue research capital, just like Singapore and Hong Kong in response to the SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) epidemic in 2013.
“Let the government in this dark moment be a beacon of hope for dengue, for ourselves, for the world,” said Gordon.
“Let us be a beacon of hope for the close to 800,000 children who received the first dengue vaccine in the world and who now need our help,” he added.