Dengue expert astonished that PHL proceeded with immunization using Dengvaxia

A leading figure in dengue research based in the United States said Tuesday that he was very surprised when the Philippine government pushed through with the mass immunization of Dengvaxia to children aged nine years old and up.

“I was astonished and upset that this mass immunization is going forward,” Dr. Scott Halstead said during the resumption of the Senate blue ribbon committee investigation on Dengvaxia.

Halstead said he earlier warned that blood tests should have been done to the recipient before the dengue vaccine was given.

“I made a suggestion that before Dengvaxia was given to everybody, there should be test. Everybody said ‘ha ha ha’ that is impossible, nobody have done that before. But I am sorry, that’s not ‘ha ha ha’, that’s possible,” he said.

Halstead said he had a dialogue with Sanofi for a couple of years that the vaccine is safe to seropositive or those who had a previous dengue infection. Seronegative refers to individuals who had never contracted dengue.

“It was logical that they conduct a test and that test allowed them to separate the children who were seropositive and seronegative,” he said.

Dr. Scott Halstead of the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, Maryland, testifies before the Senate blue ribbon committee hearing on the Dengvaxia vaccine fiasco on Tuesday, March 13, 2018. Benjie Castro

Dengvaxia was given to children even without the test determining if they are seronegative or seropositive.

Senator Richard Gordon, chairman of the blue ribbon committee, said the government did not undertake due diligence when it implemented the mass immunization.

“Sanofi was able to bring out Dengvaxia vaccine but our government is in a hurry maybe because of the election, maybe because of some reason. Dengue should be treated but when parents don’t know what is going to hit them when they got Dengvaxia, that is unfair,” the senator’s voice breaking as he saw the mother of the children cry.

“Karapatan ng magulang na sabihin sa kanila kung ano ang peligro ng Dengvaxia, dito nagkulang ang gobyerno. Kahit na Sanofi had the best intention, many died because they were not given the right information,” he added. — RSJ, GMA News