PAO chief Acosta washes hands of measles outbreak

Public Attorney's Office (PAO) chief Persida Acosta on Thursday washed her hands of the alleged vaccine scare that is blamed for the outbreak of measles in the National Capital Region.

Interviewed on Unang Balita, Acosta turned the tables on Health Secretary Francisco Duque III, saying it is the Department of Health's (DOH) duty to spread awareness regarding the anti-measles vaccine.

"Ang may tungkulin po na palakasin ang ibang bakuha, DOH po. Sila yan, hindi tayo. Sila ho ang dapat nagpapaliwanag," she said.

Acosta added that PAO should not be held responsible over the measles outbreak since it only did its job when it investigated the government's anti-dengue vaccine program using Dengvaxia as ordered by the Department of Justice.

"Wala kaming pananagutan dahil tumutupad lang kami ng tungkulin," she said.

Duque had blamed Acosta and her "baseless claims and accusations" that he said led to the decline of parents vaccinating their children.

In a statement last week, the DOH chief said Acosta's allegations have resulted in the "decline in vaccine confidence and a rise in cases of measles and other vaccine preventable diseases."

PAO has been at the forefront in the filing of cases against several former and incumbent government officials and private individuals in connection with the aborted Dengvaxia program.

Dengvaxia, an anti-dengue vaccine, has resulted in the deaths of several children, according to PAO, citing forensic exam results.

DOH spokesperson Eric Domingo said in a Super Radyo dzBB interview on Wednesday that measles immunization coverage dropped in 2018 due to the hesitancy of some parents to avail of the vaccination program following the Dengvaxia controversy.

Acosta, meanwhile, clarified that except for Dengvaxia, she is not against vaccination. "Wala akong kalabang bakuna, wala akong kinakalaban," she said.  —KBK, GMA News