Some Quezon City policemen and civilian personnel who availed themselves of the free dengue shots in September have expressed concern over their health after the manufacturer, Sanofi Pasteur, said it could lead to more serious diseases.
Tintin Bulaong, 47, an aide working at the Quezon City Police District (QCPD), told the Inquirer that her 16-year-old daughter was among the 1,332 recipients. She herself was not eligible for the QCPD’s free vaccination program because only those aged 45 years old and below could be given shots.
“I am really worried for my daughter, of what’s going to happen to her,” Bulaong said, adding that the teenager developed rashes after being given the vaccine.
“I was happy when we learned [about the] free antidengue vaccine. [But] when I heard the news on television [about the risks], I got worried. Sometimes, it’s really hard if it’s free. You may have saved money only to find out it could be dangerous to you,” she said.
Chief Insp. Josephine Nandu of the QCPD health service said that they would meet with the 1,332 policemen and their dependents who were given Dengvaxia. They are also set to talk to officials of Philippine Children’s Medical Center, who administered the free vaccination program. Sanofi earlier admitted that the vaccine might cause serious diseases in people who have not yet contracted dengue. Of the 1,332 recipients at the QCPD, only 89 have been sick with the mosquito-borne disease.
A policewoman, who is two months pregnant, said her fears were multiplied when she learned about the vaccine’s risks.
The officer who refused to be identified said she got pregnant a month after getting vaccinated even though doctors had advised her not to have a baby in the next three months.
“I was already worried for my baby that time. But I am more worried now for the baby and for myself, now that there is a greater risk for those who have never been sick with dengue. This is scary,” she said. Many more are also afraid, the Inquirer learned.
According to Nandu, the administration of the second and third doses of the vaccine has been discontinued while those who got the antidengue shots will be closely monitored, evaluated and profiled.