3 more Dengvaxia death complaints filed

MANILA, Philippines – The Public Attorney’s Office (PAO) on Thursday filed three more complaints before the Department of Justice (DOJ) against former and current health officials in connection with the death of more three more minors who received shots of the dengue vaccine Dengvaxia.

Public Attorney’s Office (PAO) represented the parents and guardians of Micaeila Kayla S. Mainit, 18; Aldrid Aberia, 11 and Annaliza Silverio, 12 and filed the complaint for reckless imprudence resulting in homicide and violations of the anti-torture law and violation of the Consumer Act.

Named respondents in the complaint are former Health Secretary Janette Garin and 39 other former and incumbent health officials including directors and officers of Sanofi Pasteur, the maker of the Dengvaxia vaccine and its local distributor, Zuellig Pharma.

Based on the separate complaints, Aberia and Mainit received one dose of the vaccine while Silverio received three doses.

The complaint noted that the three died of lymphoma, cardiogenic shock (with congenital heart disease as an antecedent cause) and tonsillar herniation with lupus as underlying cause.

PAO also submitted to the prosecution panel as part of its evidence the recent order of the Department of Health (DOH) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) which permanently revoked Sanofi Pasteur Inc.’s certificates of product registration of Dengvaxia.

The order, addressed to the firm’s Regulatory Affairs Manager Anna Lea F. Remandas, was signed by FDA Director General Nela Charade Puno, directing Sanofi to “immediately surrender the original certificates of product registrations (CPRs) of Dengvaxia”.

The DOH has recorded 17,801 dengue cases in the first weeks of 2019, with 75 deaths as of February 2 this year.

The agency only recorded 14,825 cases of the disease from January to February last year. / gsg