Cebu—The Public Attorney’s Office (PAO) on Tuesday conducted an autopsy on the remains of a 12-year-old boy whose death was linked to the Dengvaxia vaccine here.
PAO chief Persida Rueda-Acosta said the boy is the 167th victim who could have died due to the vaccine at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
She identified the supposed victim as Steven Talaugon Ole of Alegria, Cordova.
The boy›s mother, Jovelyn, yesterday told the PAO lawyers that his son, a grade 4 pupil, received the vaccine shot on Aug. 11, 2017, and died three years later on July 25, 2020.
The boy’s body was exhumed yesterday morning for an autopsy at the St. Peter Chapels in Apalan, Tuburan town.
Dr. Erwin Erfe, PAO forensics chief, told the Manila Standard that “despite the body’s decomposition state, we hope to extract some information.”
“We will also base our observations on the medical history of the boy before he died,” he told the Manila Standard.
The parents—Wilfredo and Jovelyn—sought PAO’s assistance back in October 2020 but the pandemic restricted PAO to conduct an autopsy.
“He died due to symptoms of the vaccine,” Erfe said.
In November 2017, Sanofi Pasteur Inc., the vaccine manufacturer, issued an official statement on its website, admitting that the vaccine could lead to adverse effects to individuals with no previous infection of dengue.
“Dengvaxia provides persistent protective benefits against dengue fever in those who had prior infection. For those not previously infected by dengue virus, however, more cases of severe disease could occur following vaccination upon a subsequent dengue infection,” the statement read.
Under the administration of ex-health secretary Janette Garin, the Department of Health procured P3.5 billion worth of Dengvaxia vaccine for the mass vaccination of school children in public schools.