The Dengvaxia Controversy

It is kind of maddening how it starts with “World’s first dengue vaccine now available in PH” became “New dengue vaccine could instead cause more cases, experts warn.” just because the Government acted hastily regarding the purchase and the implementation of the school-based dengue prevention program.

CNN Philippines

DENGVAXIA is a vaccine indicated for the prevention of dengue disease caused by dengue virus serotypes 1, 2, 3 and 4 (FDA). True enough, that is the real purpose of dengvaxia. A vaccine that was manufactured by Sanofi Pasteur Inc.

Do you still remember the Dengvaxia controversy here in the Philippines?

Here is what happened back then...

It was on year 2014 when Dengvaxia completed its two parallel Phase 3 clinical studies which compare the safety and effectiveness of the new treatment. And Philippines was among the 10 countries that took part of the study.

It was also year 2014, month of November when then-President Benigno Aquino III meets with Sanofi’s Senior Vice President in Asia Region.

Then at 2015, then-health secretary Janette Garin negotiates with Sanofi to reduce the cost of buying the vaccines.

Fast forward to Garin’s submission of proposal to Budget Department to buy three million doses of Dengvaxia vaccine until the Budget Department issues a ₱3.5-billion Special Allotment Release Order to Garin's office to purchase the vaccines on December 29, 2015.

And on February 11, 2016 The Philippines, under Health Secretary Janette Garin, hosts the nationwide launch of Dengvaxia.

On the same year, the following month when Dengvaxia was launched in the Philippines, the WHO releases a paper saying that Dengvaxia "may be ineffective or may even increase that risk in those who are seronegative at the time of first vaccination." And they call for more studies into the vaccine.

Seronegative pertains to people who have not yet had dengue.

But despite what the WHO says, on April 4, 2016, the government still proceed to kick off its ₱3.5-billion, school-based dengue immunization program. The health department says students would be given three doses, which would be administered every six months.

July 2016 on the same year, WHO releases another paper saying that Dengvaxia "may act as a silent natural infection that primes seronegative vaccinees to experience a secondary-like infection upon their first exposure to dengue virus."

In other words, the body says the vaccine "may be ineffective or may theoretically even increase the future risk of hospitalized or severe dengue illness in those who are seronegative at the time of first vaccination regardless of age." (WHO)

That same month, former Health Secretary Paulyn Ubial issues a Resolution temporarily suspending the school-based dengue immunization program. And only the 489,003 pupils who received the first dose would take the second and third doses.

On September 2016, the health department moves to continue the vaccination program.

Fast forward again to November 29, 2017, Sanofi Pasteur announces the results of new clinical data analysis, which found that Dengvaxia is more risky for people not previously infected by the virus.

Following Sanofi Pasteur's announcement, on December 1, 2017, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III orders the temporary suspension of the dengue vaccination program.

Duque says 733,713 children from Central Luzon, the region of Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, and Quezon, and Metro Manila were administered Dengvaxia. Eight to 10 percent or about 70,000 children have not had dengue yet, the DOH added.

Around 10 percent of over 800,000 students who were immunized with Dengvaxia, but did not have a prior dengue infection, now face contracting a "severe disease," according to the vaccine's manufacturer Sanofi Pasteur.

For more detailed information, visit CNN Philippines article entitled TIMELINE: The Dengvaxia controversy.

It is so maddening that the vaccine that should protect people turned into a vaccine that put people at risk. And what’s more maddening is that this program is school-based meaning that almost all of those people who get the vaccine are children.

800, 000 people had the vaccine and 10% of them have not had dengue yet. 80, 000 lives became at risk. 1 out of 8 people who had the vaccine is at risk. They say it was only 10%. But those 10% are 80, 000 lives of children, that still have a bright future that is ahead of them.

As of 2019, there were 622 deaths that was caused by Dengvaxia.

Source: Pharmaceutical Technology

*I can't find any newer news for more accurate statistics.

Why did I wrote this article?

You must be wondering why I’m writing an article about this controversy that happened years ago. So the reason why I’m writing this is because unfortunately, two of my nieces had all the three dosages of the Dengvaxia vaccine and the both of them are seronegative.

And what’s more unfortunate is that one of them had a dengue recently. And just like what is mentioned on the previous studies, Dengvaxia can cause more risk to seronegative people before the first time vaccination.

Dengvaxia was an effective vaccine, but only to those people who have dengue. And what happens back then that they were vaccinated without having dengue causes the risk for more complication.

So for a close monitoring, we have her admitted to a hospital for her health care. She was admitted last January 26, 2021 and was discharged on February 1, 2021. For that 1 week period that she was admitted at the hospital, her hospital bills reached more than Php50, 000 or at least $1040.

That made me think about other children who may also caught dengue after getting the Dengvaxia vaccine. Not all of those children families can provide to give them the best healthcare that they could have. Those children are at risk and what will happen to them if their family will not be able to get them admitted to a hospital for close monitoring?

Actually even us are not that capable because until now we still have a liability of more than half her bills to the hospital where she was admitted. My sister, which is her mother have PhilHealth (A Philippine Health Insurance Corporation) but the said insurance only covered Php10, 000 or $208 of her bills. The government health support for those people who were vaccinated with Dengvaxia is Php17, 500 or $363 but according to the hospital, they have a previous patient who were also vaccinated with Dengvaxia but it was more than a year already and the support from the government still doesn’t come.

This thing that happened to us now makes me remember the Dengvaxia controversy like it just happened yesterday. I just hope and I am praying that my other niece and all the people, all the children who are also get vaccinated will never caught dengue in their whole lifetime.

And I urge the government to do better. To provide better support and to provide the children who had Dengvaxia vaccine the best healthcare that they could have.

This Dengvaxia vaccine did not just cause all the people who got the vaccine at risk. It also risk more children from other diseases because what happened before, the Dengvaxia controversy brought fear to parents, to people. And that results to their sudden decline of other vaccines that are safe. Some parents are even declining for a deworming.

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There is an alleged claim that there is a “mafia” inside the Department of Health composed of 19 officials from the department including then-Secretary Garin. There is said to be a corruption and the investigation is still on-going. The pharmaceutical company is also being investigated. I just hope that truth will prevail and whoever that is responsible about this Dengvaxia controversy will be held responsible for causing thousands of children lives at risk.

Sources:

https://cnnphilippines.com/news/2017/12/09/The-Dengvaxia-controversy.html

https://cnnphilippines.com/news/2016/09/02/Dengue-vaccine-Dengvaxia.html

https://cnnphilippines.com/news/2016/02/11/dengue-vaccine-Dengvaxia-Philippines.html

Authors Note:

And i'm finally back after 2 days. And I also know that this article need more research. I don't know if I have provided all the facts or all the needed information regarding this topic. But let's all do pray that there would be no more lives of children that will be put at risk or worse, to death just because of Dengvaxia.

Feel free to drop some of your thoughts here or to add more information which I didn't include in this article.

Thank you so much for reading this article. Till my next article! :)