There is “no basis to panic” over the deaths of children who had been given Dengvaxia shots, as it is yet to be proven that their demise was exactly due to the anti-dengue vaccine, health experts assured the public on Tuesday.
At the resumption of the Senate hearing into the P3 billion anti-dengue immunization program of the government, Senator JV Ejercito, chair of the Senate health and demography committee, asked health experts if parents should panic over the reported deaths of 29 children administered with Dengvaxia.
“Wala pong basis na mag-panic po ngayon, ang advice namin, based on our calculations, ‘yung sa results from the clinical trials, in general, safe ho,” Dr. Mary Ann Lansang said.
Although the children have died, she pointed out, this could not be directly attributed to Dengvaxia.
“Hindi pa natin nakukuha yung final result from the Dengue Investigative Task Force (of the University of the Philippines Philippine General Hospital UP-PGH) kung talagang dahil sa severe dengue na na-enhance o napalubha ng Dengvaxia o kung natural na wild type dengue ho ito,” she also said.
PHOTO by CATHY MIRANDA / INQUIRER.net
“Meron hong maliit na risk na baka na-enhance yung sakit nung naturukan ng Dengvaxia,” she added, noting that prompt and appropriate health advice should be sought by parents.
UP-PGH health expert panel head Dr. Juliet Sio-Aguilar has echoed Lansang’s statement.
“Sa dami ng nabakunahan Dengvaxia, meron dun normal disease that will happen with or without Dengvaxia… We don’t know at the moment kung merong relasyon dito sa Dengvaxia na ibinigay,” Aguilar said.
“Kaya lagi natin sinasabi na gusto natin gumawa pa ng masinsinang pag-aaral. I think the whole world is looking at us. We might as well take advantage of this situation kung ano ma-discover natin, make good out of it now,” she added. /kga