Another girl dies in Pampanga in spite of Dengvaxia vaccine

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO—A 12-year-old girl who has been immunized with Dengvaxia has died, raising to three the number of schoolchildren in Pampanga province who have died after inoculation with the dengue vaccine since December last year.

The girl received a single dose of Dengvaxia on June 14, 2016, at San Esteban Elementary School in Macabebe town.

She lived in the island village of Sapang Kawayan in the neighboring town of Masantol and had been diagnosed with brain herniation syndrome.

The girl got fever and cold on Jan. 14 and experienced headache and vomiting a day before she was admitted to government-run Jose B. Lingad Memorial Regional Hospital (JBLMRH) on Jan. 17. She died on Jan. 19.

Tests have yet to confirm whether she died of dengue.

Two elementary school students from Guagua and Candaba towns died earlier.

17 ailing children

On Monday, a girl from Barangay Paligui in Apalit town was taken to JBLMRH with fever, raising the number of Dengvaxia beneficiaries in Pampanga to fall ill to 70 since April 2016.

More than 47,300 schoolchildren in the province were inoculated with Dengvaxia under the Department of Health’s (DOH) botched dengue immunization drive.

In a statement last week, the DOH said it had helped 27 vaccinated schoolchildren aged 11 to 16 from various parts of Central Luzon. It provided no details.

Of the 27 patients, the DOH said five experienced severe dengue while 18 showed warning signs of dengue.