DOH visits four children with dengue at Quezon City hospital

Health Secretary Francisco Duque III on Tuesday paid a visit to four children who developed dengue, as part of the Department of Health's (DOH) intensified monitoring of persons with dengue or alleged complications from the controversial Dengvaxia vaccine.

Two of the four children confined at the Quezon City General Hospital did not receive the vaccine, according to a report by Chino Gaston on News To Go.

Duque found the service and priority lane for Dengvaxia recipients at the Quezon City General Hospital but saw points for improvement in the hospital run by the Quezon City local government.

The Health secretary said he found no evidence to the claim by the Public Attorney's Office (PAO) of widespread deaths due to Dengvaxia.

Dr. John Arnel Amata, a PAO pathologist, said not all deaths of individuals who received Dengvaxia could be linked to the vaccine as rashes and internal bleeding can be caused by diseases other than dengue.

The DOH received a refund for the unused doses of the dengue vaccine from Dengvaxia manufacturer Sanofi Pasteur, which announced in November 2017 that the vaccine may lead to severe dengue for individuals who did not have dengue prior to inoculation. —Rie Takumi/KG, GMA News