Vaccines are safe, effective and necessary, say doctors

The Philippine College of Physicians (PCP) assured the public that vaccines for polio, rubella, and other debilitating diseases remain safe and effective in light of the controversy surrounding the dengue vaccine Dengvaxia.

Dr. Fatima Gimenez, Pediatric Infectious Disease Society of the Philippines (PIDSP) board member, made the statement a week after pharmaceutical company Sanofi Pasteur announced that being injected with its dengue vaccine Dengvaxia increased the risk of hospitalization for dengue and severe dengue in individuals with no prior infection.

"If we didn't believe in immunization, then I'm sure we'll see a lot of people coming down with diphtheria, pertussis, or measles," she said.

"Let's not forget the benefits of immunization. It's not 100-percent effective, but it has proven to save lives. Or else we wouldn't be here, some of your kids wouldn't be here, probably because some of them might have been prone if they were not given immunization," she added.

Dr. Mario Panaligan of Philippine Society for Microbiology and Infectious Diseases added that this was a call for physicians to ensure the effectiveness and safety of vaccines for vaccine-preventable diseases.

"It's definitely not going to be easy," he said. "We have to make sure these are properly implemented."

Vaccines will not cause the disease

Gimenez and Panaligan clarified that vaccines, specifically live vaccines, will not cause the disease but strengthen the body against it.

"You give the virus in a weakened form so it will stimulate the immune system, give antibodies," Gimenez said.

When it comes to dengue, she explained that patients will "not come down with the disease if [they] got vaccinated and an infected mosquito bit" them.

Panaligan said only those with weakened immune systems can possibly get sick from vaccines.

"It is counter-negated sa mabababang resistensya kagaya ng pasyenteng may AIDS o kaya yung mga nagke-chemotherapy like cancer dahil mahina sila, pwedeng maging sakit sila," he said.

"Pero sa mga bata o sa mga taong magaganda ang resistensya, yung mga live-attenuated vaccines will not cause the disease," Panaligan continued. "'Yun 'yung misbelief eh."

Other forms of vaccines require booster shots to sustain its effects—and Dengvaxia is one such vaccine.

"Base sa trial, we need three doses because dengue is a very complex disease. Remember it's Dengue 1, 2, 3, 4; so there are four serotypes," Gimenez started.

More info on Dengvaxia needed

Gimenez said that doctors and medical societies need more information on Dengvaxia to amend their recommendations.

"We don't have any information of how things will go with just one dose versus three doses," she said.

"That's what we need to look into, that's why we need more information so that we can stand on our recommendations kasi everything we see now is because the population is given three doses and that's the recommended [dose]," Gimenez continued.

The doctor believes Sanofi will bring out all of its data on Dengvaxia as the company and the medical community are "dealing with lives."

"I trust in the goodness of the company to bring out whatever information they have. Because that's the way to do things," Gimenez said. — BM, GMA News