PAO should have helped parents find experts for autopsies, former DOH secretary says

Parents of children who died some time after receiving the dengue vaccine Dengvaxia should have been referred by the Public Attorney’s Office (PAO) to experts who can conduct proper autopsies, former health secretary Dr. Esperanza Cabral said on Monday.

"Dapat ang sinabi nila sa mga magulang ay meron hong mas mahusay na makakapaggawa niyan. Kung kailangan gawin, siguro ay kumonsulta muna tayo du'n," Cabral said in an interview on Dobol B sa News TV.

"Marami naman pong pathologist dito sa ating bansa na pwedeng gumawa nito on a very competent basis," she added.

Cabral said PAO should stop conducting autopsies especially after it was confirmed by the independent panel of experts by the Philippine General Hospital (PGH) that none of the 14 deaths attributed to Dengvaxia were directly caused by the vaccine.

She noted that the process may cause trauma to the families of the deceased.

"Mahirap naman po na kung lahat ng bata na namatay du'n sa mga naturukan ng Dengvaxia ay gagawan pa nila noon. Wala nang saysay 'yun. Kalupitan na po 'yun," Cabral said.

When asked about PAO Forensic Division Chief Erwin Erfe, Cabral said only three of the 14 deaths investigated by the consultant were caused by dengue.

"Kumbaga sa score, du'n sa 14 na 'yun, tatlo lang po du'n sa sinasabi niyang nagka-dengue na 14 ang napatunayan na talagang may dengue. Ibig sabihin, kung eksaminasyon 'yun, eh ang score niya 20 percent passing tsaka 80 percent failing," she said.

Earlier, Erfe said the autopsies were conducted on the request of the families while PAO Chief Persida Acosta said her office will only heed requests from the Department of Justice (DOJ) and other higher government bodies.

The PGH attempted to reach out to PAO to examine their findings but the office refused to share it with the independent panel. Their task force is contemplating their own autopsy on four of the 14 cases, and tissue evaluation for five other cases.

Controversy sparked after Dengvaxia manufacturer Sanofi Pasteur advised against prescribing the said vaccine to patients who have not had the dengue in the past, since it may cause severe dengue in the long run.

At least 830,000 public school students from Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Metro Manila, and Cebu received the vaccine under the Department of Health's dengue vaccination program. —Rie Takumi/KG, GMA News