Malacañang allays public fears on Dengvaxia dengue vaccine

Malacañang on Sunday allayed fears of the public on the anti-dengue vaccine Dengvaxia and urged them to stop spreading information that may cause panic.

"We understand the concern of our people, especially the parents and the relatives of public elementary children residing in Regions III, IV-A, and NCR, where the dengue vaccination initiative was launched by the previous administration," presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said in a statement.

"However, we call on all citizens not to spread information that may cause undue alarm," he added.

Nevertheless, the Palace vowed to hold accountable those responsible for the  suspended dengue immunization program.

"We will leave no stone unturned in making those responsible for this shameless public health scam which puts hundreds of thousands of young lives at risk accountable," said Roque.

Pharmaceutical company Sanofi on Wednesday advised against prescribing Dengvaxia to patients who have not acquired the dengue virus due to the severe diseases it may cause in the long run.

Roque, however, assured that there are currently no reported cases of severe dengue infection to individuals who have been vaccinated with Dengvaxia last year.

The Department of Health said more than 733,000 children — aged 9 and above — from public schools in Metro Manila, Central Luzon, and Calabarzon have already received at least the first three doses of the vaccine.

"Our present health officials are serious in carrying out their mandate to always guard the health and physical well-being of our people, which includes intensifying surveillance and evaluation of our dengue vaccination program," he said.

"The Department of Health is now working in close coordination with the Department of Education (DepEd) to monitor the thousands of students who have been administered with Dengvaxia," he added.

Roque assured that the government will leave "no stone unturned" in bringing to justice those responsible for the public health scam.

The DOH has already put on hold its dengue vaccination program after the Dengvaxia anomaly. — with a report from Reuters/Erwin Colcol/ALG, GMA News