The recorded number deaths of children who received the controversial Dengvaxia vaccine is now at 87 although the link between the deaths and the vaccine has yet to be proven, Department of Health (DOH) Undersecretary Rolando Domingo said on Tuesday.
“Na-confirm natin na cases from our epidemiology bureau that 87 children were confirmed to have had Dengvaxia vaccination died either of dengue or any other illness,” Domingo said in an interview after the approval of the House appropriations committee of the P1.161 billion supplemental budget for the medical assistance of Dengvaxia vaccinees.
READ: House committee okays P1.161-B budget for Dengvaxia-vaccinated children
Out of these 87 deaths, Domingo said only 11 children were confirmed to have been infected by the Dengue virus.
“Sa mga yun ‘yung mga laboratory tested and confirmed meaning, talagang nag-grow sa culture sa PCR yung blood sample nila na merong dengue ay 11,” he explained.
He said “more epidemiological studies” should still be conducted to verify if these deaths were caused by the vaccine.
Domingo also pointed out that the agency is not yet ready to declare a failure in the vaccine’s efficacy.
“Maliit pa kasi yung number no. But we assume that there’s failure in some cases kasi may mga cases tayo na namatay sila nabakunahan pero nung tinest sila for dengue antigen and for dengue antibodies wala silang na-mount na any form of defense against dengue no. So mukhang hindi talaga sya effective sa lahat kasi ang effectivity rate is anywhere from 65 to 85 percent,” he said.
However, Domingo assured that even though the DOH has yet to verify the direct link of Dengvaxia to these deaths, they are still looking into this possibility as they continue to monitor all the 900,000 children vaccinated with Dengvaxia.
“Yung P1.16 billion na budget natin na nakuha natin sa Sanofi magagamit natin to touch base with each and every child, profiling, assessment and cover all the costs of both patients and out patients,” he said.
The DOH official said as early as now, patients admitted to hospitals can already avail of their assistance. But once the P1.161 billion supplemental budget is approved and signed by President Rodrigo Duterte, the agency can start extending help even to out-patient vaccinees. /vvp
READ: DOH says 62 kids may have died after receiving Dengvaxia