MikeLigalig.com

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga — Parents of students vaccinated with Dengvaxia in Central Luzon are in deep concern on the health and welfare of their children who were exposed to unnecessary risks caused by the said anti-dengue vaccine.
 
Delia Cunanan, a resident of Barangay Cambio, San Miguel, Bulacan said that she could not help but fear for his only child Reiner, who was given three doses of anti-dengue vaccine.
 
“What are the steps they are going to do now? They put my son’s life at risk," Cunanan said in tears, who admitted having sleepless nights since Dengvaxia manufacturer Sanofi Pasteur admitted that the vaccine could cause more severe cases of dengue for those who had not been previously infected.
 
Parents of Jeric 9, and Joanne, 10, who also completed the three anti-dengue vaccine shots in a public elementary school in San Leonardo, Nueva Ecija are not only worried but also angry with the rush implementation of the dengue immunization program.
 
“Those responsible for the conduct of the dengue immunization to children must be accountable. They put our children’s lives at risk instead of protecting them. They turned our children into guinea pigs. Is it because we are poor,” parents Joel and Jenny said.
 
Likewise, Gloria Punsalan is in panic since she learned about the adverse effects of the anti-dengue vaccine.

Punsalan said that his two sons, Gary, 9 and Joseph,12 and nieces Tin-Tin and Patrice were given the vaccine shots in a public elementary school in Mexico, Pampanga.

“What will happen to the kids? What are we going to do? How can they solve the mess?", asked the 42-year old mother.

Even a public school teacher in Gapan City, Nueva Ecija who requested anonimity, said she feels guilty for becoming an "instrument" in the immunization drive that put their pupils' lives at risks.

"I hope the health officials and experts could address this problem," the teacher said.

Leonita Gorgolon, regional director of the Department of Health (DOH), however, assured that the agency is doing some measures to minimize the risks such as the close monitoring of all the children in Central Luzon who were given the dengue vaccine.

“We would like to make sure that all those vaccinated will be monitored. We will look for them. We will issue advisories to all the rural health units , district hospitals and regional hospitals  in the region to be alert especially to the grade 4 students who will get fever,” she said.

Gorgolon also said that they had already met all the municipal health officers in the region and gave them some information on what steps they need to do, in particular to queries by parents whose children were vaccinated by the said vaccine.

She also assured that the DOH is ready to give free medical services to those anti-dengue vaccinated children who might get sick.

“We are ready to help and if there is a need to provide assistance to the families, we will do that,”  she said.
 
She also said that there were three regional hospitals in Central Luzon, namely Central Luzon Doctors’ Hospital in Tarlac City, Jose Lingad Memorial Regional Hospital in the City of San Fernando, Pampanga and the Paulino J. Garcia Memorial Research and Medical Center in Cabanatuan City, Nueva Ecija that were ready in case the anti-dengue vaccinated children need to be confined.

Likewise, she added that there are 70 district hospitals in the entire region which would also be tasked to do the monitoring and surveillance of the vaccinated children.
 
Data from the DOH Regional Office 3 showed that a total of 205,058 pupils in Central Luzon were vaccinated with Dengvaxia since 2016.
 
Out of the total figure, Bulacan has the highest number of children given with anti-dengue vaccine with 52,579, followed by Pampanga with 47,358 and Nueva Ecija with 40,996.

Tarlac has  26,670 children vaccinated with Dengvaxia; Zambales with 6,930; Bataan (14,615); and Aurora (5,910). (PNA)

DECEMBER 2017

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