BY PRINCE GOLEZ and ADRIAN STEWART CO
MANILA – Sen. Richard Gordon supported the decision of President Rodrigo Duterte to form a three-man team composed of foreign health experts to investigate the Dengvaxia vaccine controversy.
An independent research would establish the effects of Dengvaxia to kids who were administered with it, said Gordon.
The chairman of the blue ribbon committee said the parents of those who got Dengvaxia shots had “sleepless nights and anguish.”
This after Dengvaxia manufacturer Sanofi Pasteur announced that the vaccine may increase the risk of severe disease among children who did not have a prior dengue infection.
“Hindi sila nag-exercise ng due diligence para alamin kung nagkaroon na o hindi pa ng dengue yung mga bata. Walang informed choice kaya hindi alam ngayon kung sino ang nasaksakan ng Dengvaxia na hindi pa nagka-dengue,” Gordon said.
Gordon added that Duterte’s plan is “a step in the right direction because it will determine whether the children were seronegative when they were given an injection.”
“The President probably took notice of the fact that if there is a way we can find out if seronegative children were given shots then we would know for sure if this was the principal cause of death,” said Gordon. “In that sense, we welcome and support this move to get Asian experts. I even recommended sending sample specimens from the children who died to Hawaii or Pittsburgh, where, as I had been told, they can do such testing.”
Duterte earlier said he would tap a panel of Asian experts to investigate whether or not Dengvaxia caused the deaths of the children who got the vaccine.
The Public Attorney’s Office and the Department of Health (DOH) have conflicting reports on the issue, the President has said.
In his committee report released in April, Gordon recommended the filing of graft charges against former president Benigno Aquino III and his officials for the dengue vaccine controversy.
He also recommended that charges be filed against Sanofi.
Meanwhile, 37 personalities, led by former DOH secretary Janette Garin, were slapped with another set of Dengvaxia-related charges before the Department of Justice (DOJ).
Three more sets of aggrieved parents whose children died allegedly due to the dengue vaccine have filed reckless imprudence resulting in homicide, violation of the anti-torture law and obstruction of justice against the respondents.
It was the ninth criminal complaints slapped by the aggrieved parents against DOH officials and corporate directors and officers of drug manufacturer Sanofi and local distributor Zuellig Pharma./PN
