Makabayan solons want to probe P3.4-B dengue vaccine program

Lawmakers belonging to the Makabayan bloc of the House of Representatives will file a resolution next week seeking to investigate the P3.4-billion dengue vaccine program.

This, after French pharmaceutical company Sanofi Pasteur advised against prescribing Dengvaxia to patients who have not acquired the dengue virus before due to the "severe diseases" it may cause in the long run.

In a statement on Monday, representatives from the Gabriela Women's Party branded the program as the "haphazard administration of vaccine has put the health and lives of thousands of Filipino children in danger."

“Over 70,000 Filipino children are at risk of more severe symptoms due to the Dengvaxia vaccine, and this is not a joke. This is a potential public health crisis that should not be downplayed and dismissed by the Department of Health (DOH), Malacañang and Sanofi Pasteur by blanket assurances,” Representative Emmi de Jesus said.

“It is reprehensible that the Health Department implemented the immunization program in 2016 based only on the apparent big pharma lobbying and ahead of any completed clinical study on the vaccine’s safety,” she added.

The lawmaker added that the party-list has been in receipt of concerns from mothers as regards health implications of the vaccine. She added that the mothers are very angry that the public funds were spent for the health program.

"We will support efforts by mothers in filing a class suit against big pharma firm Sanofi Pasteur and officials responsible for the implementation of the immunization program," De Jesus said.

For her part, fellow Gabriela Women's Party Representative Arlene Brosas argued that the reasons of mothers to be alarmed over the alleged anti-dengue vaccine scam are all but valid.

Over the weekend, presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said the public has nothing to fear about the dengue vaccine mess.

But Brosas said: "The Palace should provide pro-active measures to address the risks posed by Dengvaxia instead of merely stating that there is so far no reported case of severe dengue infection. What is the government’s contingency plan? What will be the screening process to identify children at risk?” 

"Will the government ask Sanofi to return the P3.4 billion to government coffers? It is not enough that the Duterte regime has suspended the immunization program," she added.

Roque, nevertheless, assured the public that the government will leave "no stone unturned" in bringing to justice those responsible for the public health scam.

The DOH has already put on hold its dengue vaccination program after the Dengvaxia controversy. — RSJ, GMA News