Over 200,000 Grade 4 Pupils Get Anti-dengue Vaccine — DOH

The Department of Health (DOH) has said its school-based free dengue immunization program has so far covered more than 200,000 grade 4 pupils in public elementary schools in three Luzon regions.

In a press briefing on Monday, DOH spokesperson Dr. Lyndon Lee Suy said that as of April 24, a total of 204,397 pupils have been vaccinated with the world’s first dengue vaccine called Dengvaxia.

Dr. Lee Suy said the number comprised 73 percent of the 279,393 pupils issued with parental consent to receive the vaccine designed to prevent dengue fever in human beings.

Lee Suy said that schedules for the vaccination of the first dose are expected to be completed by June this year for the targeted grade 4 children.

The vaccination began last March and had ceremonial launching last April 4 at a public school in Marikina City.

The DOH spokesperson said there will be three doses needed to complete the administration of the vaccine.

The next two doses will be administered at intervals of six months each.

The recipients of the free vaccine of the DOH through the cooperation of its manufacturer, the French pharmaceutical company Sanofi Pasteur, are grade 4 public elementary schools in the adjacent National Capital Region (NCR), Calabarzon or Region IV-A and Central Luzon.

Calabarzon is composed of the provinces of Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon.

Through the corporate social responsibility (CSR) of Sanofi Pasteur, the Philippine government is able to negotiate the acquisition of the new vaccine at a special and cheaper price so that it can be included in the school-based immunization program targeting the country’s highly endemic regions susceptible to dengue disease.

The vaccine has been attested by experts as a big tool to prevent the damaging effects of dengue and reduce hospitalization costs.

In comparison, the price of the vaccine in private hospitals and clinics is quite high since the vaccine is still new and therefore can only be afforded by the rich ones aged nine to 45 years.

The vaccine was approved and licensed by the country’s Food and Drug Administration (FDA) last year.

The vaccine completed successful clinical trials and researches for more than 20 years prior to obtaining its license.

Aside from the Philippines, the vaccine has also gained regulatory approval in Brazil and Mexico.

In a related development, the Health spokesperson said a total of 362 cases of Adverse Event Following Immunization (AEFI) were received from the three regions.

The top five common reactions were fever, headache, dizziness, vomiting, and rash, all of which are self-limiting and usually surfaced as side-effects just like in any other vaccine administered as part of the body’s immune system response.

“The DOH has established a strict monitoring and surveillance system for adverse events and side-effects following immunization,” Dr. Lee Suy said.

Dengue is highly endemic in the Philippines. It has the highest incidence and ranked No. 1 in the Western Pacific Region from 2013 to 2015.

As of April 9, 2016, a total of 33,658 suspected dengue cases were reported nationwide. Most of the cases were from Region IV-A with 5,546 cases; Region III with 4,518 cases; Region X, with 3,604 cases; and National Capital Region (NCR), 2,469 cases.

Meanwhile, the DOH has reiterated that while the vaccine is proven 90 percent effective in preventing the incidence of severe dengue, cleanliness is still the most fundamental prevention against mosquito-borne diseases like dengue.

The agency also reminded that as the country is stricken by the El Niño phenomenon, the public is advised to always cover containers which are being used for storing water so these will not be infested by mosquito larvae.

“Dengue vaccines are only a step of our battle against dengue. We will continue to fight against mosquito-borne diseases through the ‘4S campaign’. The 4S means Search & destroy mosquito breeding places; use Self-protection measures; Seek early consultation for fever lasting more than two days; and Say NO to indiscriminate fogging. Lahat nang ito ay mangyayari kung sisimulan natin sa ating mga bahay. Sama-sama nating gampanan ang ating papel upang makamit ang Kalusugang Pangkalahatan,” said DOH Secretary Janette L. Garin. (PNA) SCS/LSJ