Public Attorney’s Office chief Persida Acosta has lost a nephew whose death has been linked to the controversial Dengvaxia vaccine.
Acosta posted on her Facebook page that her nephew was the 161th Dengvaxia victim.
“Rest in peace my nephew. Justice will be done. Dengvaxia 161,” her message said, but she did not identify who the victim was.
Netizens stormed social media to sympathize with Acosta.
On Dec. 14, the PAO forensic division team led by Erwin Erfe conducted an autopsy on the body of the 15-year-old Crisa Mae Porcia of Barangay Mambugan in Antipolo City.
She died at the East Avenue Medical Center on Dec. 8 due to pneumonia as stated in her death certificate.
“She is the 160th victim of the Dengvaxia vaccine,” Erfe said.
On Nov. 29, 2017, Sanofi Pasteur Inc. issued an official statement on its website after a new analysis of six years’ worth of clinical data.
“The analysis confirmed that Dengvaxia provides persistent protective benefit against dengue fever in those who had a prior infection. For those not previously infected by the dengue virus, however, the analysis found that in the longer term, more cases of severe disease could occur following vaccination upon a subsequent dengue infection.”
The relatives of the schoolchildren who died supposedly due to the Dengvaxia vaccine through PAO filed criminal and civil cases against ex-Health Secretary Janette Garin and 38 others with various courts and the Department of Justice.