The Department of Health (DOH) said Tuesday it is open to reviewing again the possible evidence presented by the vaccine Dengvaxia amid the continuing increase of dengue cases in the country.
Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire made the comment after infectious disease expert Dr. Rontgene Solante said Monday it is “high time” for the government to review the data and the benefits of Dengvaxia.
“For us to be able to bring back this kind of vaccine, our evidence must be completed first. We have to undergo many processes and studies for us to do all this,” she said.
Vergeire said the certificate of product registration of Dengvaxia was revoked in 2018 following the announcement of Sanofi Pasteur that the vaccine may lead to “more severe” symptoms for those who have never been infected by dengue prior to vaccination.
“Our government, along with the DOH, is always open to new technology especially if the evidence shows that it can really protect our population. We just need to study it thoroughly again, get inputs from our experts, and have the manufacturer be compliant with our regulations here in the country,” she said.
The dengue vaccination program started during the term of then-Health Secretary Janette Garin in 2016. It was then put on hold when health concerns on the vaccine were raised.
Around 800,000 schoolchildren aged 9 years old and above were, however, able to receive the said vaccine before it was halted.
For her part, Persida Acosta, chief of the Public Attorney’s Office, criticized Solante for asking the Marcos administration to re-evaluate the use of Dengvaxia.
“You know, Dr. Solante is not updated. There was a document released by the Dengvaxia manufacturer on Nov. 29, 2017, and that the Office of the President, with finality, rejected the appeal of Sanofi Pasteur Inc., following the permanent revocation of its certificates of product registration by the Food and Drug Administration,” Acosta said.
“I am not anti-vaccine. In fact, I have complete vaccines, except the Dengvaxia,” she added.
But Sen. Risa Hontiveros expressed support to the DOH’s plan to revisit the Dengvaxia vaccine.
Hontiveros said Dengvaxia is being used in several countries to fight dengue.
The DOH on Monday said 64,797 dengue cases were recorded nationwide from January 1 to June 25, 2022, a 90 percent increase compared to the cases reported during the same period last year.
At least 274 people have also died in the country this year due to dengue, posing a 0.4 percent case fatality rate.
Vergeire said 15 out of the country’s 17 regions have already surpassed the alert and epidemic threshold for dengue, which is now mostly affecting the 15 and below age group.
“When an area exceeds the epidemic threshold, it means that its number of dengue cases is more than what has been expected,” she said.