PGH task force eyes own autopsy on 4 of 14 suspected Dengvaxia-related deaths

A team of experts tapped to find out the reason behind the deaths of children who received the anti-dengue vaccine Dengvaxia believes the answers lie in the autopsy.

The Dengue Investigative Task Force, consisting of doctors and experts from the Philippine General Hospital, has recommended performing their own pathological autopsies on four of the 14 cases.

“The reason why we need to perform autopsies on these patients is to determine the cause of death, to determine if it’s possible that the vaccine played any role in the deaths of these children,” Dr. Marie Cecilia Lim, forensic pathologist in PGH, said during a press conference on Friday.

“Pathologists should conduct the autopsy, not general practitioners,” she added.

The team, meanwhile, said it recommends tissue evaluation for five other bodies.

The Public Attorney’s Office (PAO) is currently investigating the deaths being linked to Dengvaxia and has conducted several autopsies on the victims.

Despite the Department of Health's (DOH) call to include a PGH expert in their team, PAO insists on conducting forensic examinations independently.

Lim said that PAO refused to share its findings with the task force.

“The problem is we haven’t really had a chance to see the findings because they won’t share it with us,” she said.

Dr. Juliet Sio-Aguilar, PGH’s expert panel head, maintained that autopsies on suspected Dengvaxia victims should be done with a pathologist, and that experts should hold off on the diagnosis until they’re sure of it.

“Maganda kung ang autopsy be done by a reputable person na pathologist talaga kasi mahirap mag-claim,” she said.

The DOH stopped the government’s dengue immunization program last December 1 following the admission of vaccine maker Sanofi Pasteur that the use of Dengvaxia must be strictly limited due to evidence showing it can worsen the disease in people who have not previously been exposed to dengue.

According to the DOH, more than 830,000 children — aged nine and above — from public schools in Metro Manila, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, and Cebu were vaccinated with Dengvaxia since it was launched.

Following the suspension, the DOH said it would evaluate the dengue vaccination program and is now working in close coordination with the Department of Education to monitor the thousands of students who have been administered with Dengvaxia, dubbed as the world’s first dengue vaccine. —KBK, GMA News