DOH Vaccinates Over 100,000 Pupils In Two Weeks Of Free Anti-Dengue Immunization Program

The Department of Health (DOH) said on Monday it has vaccinated a total of 148,431 grade 4 pupils during the first two weeks of the school-based anti-dengue immunization program since its launching this month in three keys regions of the country. According to DOH Undersecretary Vicente Belizario, the number of those already immunized pupils represents 72 percent of the total number of children with parental consent in the public schools where the dengue vaccination program began to roll out last April 4, using the Dengvaxia dengue vaccine manufactured by the French pharmaceutical company Sanofi Pasteur.

The program covers the National Capital Region (NCR) or Metropolitan Manila, Region III (Central Luzon) and Region IV-A (Calabarzon or the provinces of Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon).

Central Luzon or Region III is composed of the provinces of Bulacan, Pampanga, Nueva Ecija, Zambales, Bataan, Tarlac, and Aurora.

“As of April 17, 2016, a total of 148,431 (72 percent) pupils have been vaccinated out of 206,673 pupils with parental consent,” Belizario said, adding that the vaccination of the remaining 28 percent with parental consent is still ongoing.

“With 148,431 students vaccinated in a span of two weeks, we are on the right track because the first dose of the vaccine will be implemented for the first three months (April-May-June). That will be batch-by-batch,” DOH Secretary Janette L. Garin said.

The second dose of the vaccine will be given from October to December 2016 and the third dose from April to June 2017,, she added.

As this developed, the DOH felt quite vindicated as the World Health Organization-Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (WHO-SAGE) on Immunization made a pronouncement and recommendation on the DOH dengue immunization program using the Dengvaxia (anti-dengue vaccine).

The vaccine was approved by the Philippine Food and Drug Administration (FDA) last December 2015.

Prior to approval, the said vaccine, the first-ever in the world, had been subjected to more than 20 years of clinical trials.

The vaccine was also approved and licensed in other countries such as Mexico and Brazil which have their own regulatory body that checks the efficacy and safety of the vaccine.

More than 700,000 grade 4 pupils have so far been identified by the Department of Education (DepEd) in the three targeted regions that will be receiving the first-ever free dengue vaccines.

The DOH is also considering to add another region with high incidence of dengue cases to be part of the free- dengue vaccination program to complete the target of one million children to ensure that the vaccine, which only the rich can afford, is made available also to the poor and vulnerable sectors of society who also need to be protected from the disease.

The vaccine was procured by the government at a lower or discounted price from the manufacturer as part of the corporate social responsibility of Sanofi Pasteur, after the government asked the company on how it can help the vulnerable sectors of society.

With the low price, the government, through the DOH, has made true its promise to ensure access of the vulnerable sectors and reduce health inequities under the Universal Health Care Program (Kalusugang Pangkalahatan) agenda of the Aquino administration. (PNA) SCS/LSJ