The Public Attorney’s Office on Thursday said it had conducted an autopsy on the 159th victim of Dengvaxia whose death was linked to the controversial vaccine.
Chief Persida Acosta said the latest victim was a 15-year-old boy whose remains underwent post mortem examination.
The boy received the Dengvaxia shots when he was in grade 5 at his school in San Ildefonso, Bulacan in 2016.
His parents said their son, JC Albert Legaspi, was vaccinated without any screening test or consent from them, and that he received the second shot in 2017.
The last vaccine shot was in 2018.
The boy’s mother, Maricel, said the boy was taken to the Philippine Children’s Medical Center in Quezon City, where he was confined for seven days.
Two days ago, the boy was discharged from the hospital.
The boy’s mother said they were conversing when the boy suddenly collapsed.
She said they rushed their son to the Veteran’s Memorial Medical Center, where he was declared dead on arrival.
She said she voluntarily sought PAO’s help.
Dr. Erwin Erfe, chief of the PAO Forensic Laboratory, said Legaspi had multi-organ enlargements and bleeding.
“It is consistent with the other victims we autopsied,” he said.
Erfe revealed that Legaspi had multi-organ enlargements and bleeding.
“It is consistent with the other victims we autopsied since December 2017,” he said.
Erfe reminded that Dengvaxia manufacturer Sanofi Pasteur itself issued warnings that the vaccine had four adverse side effects, namely, severe dengue, anaphylactic reaction, viscerotropism, and neurotropism.
He noted that the autopsy of Legaspi showed there was an enlargement of the liver, spleen, heart, kidneys, and pancreas.
Erfe added there were also extensive bleedings of his heart, kidneys, gastrointestinal tract, lungs, and brain. He assured that the PAO will file complaints against those who should be held responsible for the latest death.
“The findings of the forensics team is very clear,” he said.
The PAO has been accepting the requests of the families of Dengvaxia victims to assist them in the prosecution of those who should be held responsible for those who suffered and died due to the vaccine.