Medical experts: Stop Dengvaxia autopsies

MANILA, Philippines — A group of  doctors, academicians, scientists and health advocates yesterday asked the Department of Justice (DOJ) to stop the Public Attorney’s Office (PAO) from performing  autopsies on children who allegedly died after being vaccinated with Dengvaxia.

This developed as Malacañang, through presidential spokesman Harry Roque, yesterday welcomed the findings of medical experts from the University of the Philippines-Philippine General Hospital (UP-PGH), who stated that the deaths of 14 children inoculated with Dengvaxia were “totally not related to the vaccine,” except for two cases.

“And finally, good news to the 830,000 parents whose children were given the Dengvaxia vaccine,” Roque said, noting the UP-PGH was the one tasked by the Department of Health to conduct an independent study on the alleged deaths related to the vaccine.

Roque said concerned parents could heave a sigh of relief following the findings of the team.

After the release of the findings, a group that includes former health secretary Esperanza Cabral and vaccine expert Lulu Bravo said PAO should no longer do autopsies because “it makes no sense for any more families to be subjected to the torture of having a loved one exhumed and cut up only to find out that no useful information was derived from the cruel act.”

In a joint statement, the group urged “the DOJ to order the PAO to stop performing autopsies on these children and to leave the matter of determining the cause of death to competent forensic pathologists.”

Free autopsy

With the impact of the Dengvaxia vaccination expected to occur in the next few years, the PGH offered the expertise of its staff to do free medical autopsies on children who died after receiving the vaccine. 

According to Ma. Cecilia Lim, a forensic pathologist and assistant chair of the PGH-Department of Pathology, the hospital is willing to conduct the autopsies only for cases related to Dengvaxia.    

“Only forensic pathologists know how to do medical autopsies,” said Lim, who was part of the 10-man expert panel of the UP-PGH.

Lim noted if parents do not want to avail of PGH services, the Philippine Society of Pathologists (PSP) is also willing to help. 

Lim made the announcement when the UP-PGH panel released on Friday the results of its investigation into the deaths of 14 children.

The panel is composed of pediatric cardiologists, pediatric infectious disease and pediatric emergency specialists, allergists/immunologists, pediatric gastroenterologist, pediatric nephrologist, neonatologist and forensic pathologist.  

They also tapped specialists like a pediatric neurologist, pediatric hematologist/oncologist, geneticist and rheumatologist.  

After thoroughly looking into the clinical records and history of the patients, the panel found that three of the 14 children had developed dengue shock syndrome after vaccination, with two cases associated with vaccine failure – meaning they still contracted dengue even after Dengvaxia inoculation.

The panel recommended the conduct of autopsy on four of the 14 cases to establish the causes of their deaths and the possible connection to Dengvaxia. 

Lim said they have not had a chance to look into the results of the autopsies conducted by the PAO. She recommended that future autopsies on Dengvaxia cases be done with a representative from the PGH or the PSP. 

“An autopsy is not merely opening the body, looking at different organs. That’s what we actually see on TV. But an autopsy is actually a more complicated process,” she added. 

She said that in doing a medical autopsy, tissues from organs are taken and then examined on the microscope, among other strict procedures. 

“These are correlated or connected with all the clinical data that we have, the symptoms, the laboratory results… You have to examine everything,” Lim added.

Bravo also called for sobriety amid what she described as hysteria brought by alleged Dengvaxia-related deaths.

Bravo, president of the Immunization Partners in AsiaPacific, said parents should be calm and seek the advice of doctors if their children are showing signs of dengue.

“What’s important is if our children are sick, bring them to a doctor so you will be enlightened and to make sure if it’s dengue or not,” Bravo said in a news forum in Quezon City.

Bravo said she favored the suspension of the Dengvaxia immunization program so the government could make a proper evaluation and determine whether the vaccine is effective and the reason behind the deaths of several people.

 “Because of what’s happening, we don’t have a choice at this time,” she said.

She added it is difficult to conclude if the vaccine is solely responsible for the deaths of some people who received the medicine.

She stressed that a person can still contract a disease despite being vaccinated.

Not yet established 

Citing the findings of the UP-PGH, pharmaceutical firm and Dengvaxia manufacturer Sanofi Pasteur confirmed that the link between the vaccines and the deaths of 14 vaccinated children has not yet been established. 

The company maintained that “in Dengvaxia clinical trials conducted over more than a decade, and the over one million doses of the vaccine administered, no deaths related to the vaccine have been reported to us.” 

The panel clarified the findings are not yet final.  

The company said they sympathize with “all the families who have suffered the loss of a child.”

“Sanofi Pasteur’s mission is to reduce or eliminate suffering for millions around the world through vaccination, including in the Philippines… Dengue fever is one of the most pressing public health issues facing the Philippines today,” it added. 

Sanofi assured the public that it “remains committed to working with the Philippine government and all organisations to address this urgent public health challenge.”  

No hand

Malacañang also distanced itself from the move of Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption (VACC) and co-complainant Francis Cruz to file charges against former president Benigno Aquino III and some 20 other former officials for violating the election ban on government projects when they pushed through with the vaccination program before the May 2016 polls.

Roque pointed out the Commission on Elections (Comelec), being an independent constitutional commission, should be left to act on concerns brought to its office.

President Duterte will allow the process to take its course, Roque said, adding that the Chief Executive is not the vindictive type who would go after former presidents unlike some previous Philippine leaders.

Former budget secretary Florencio Abad, ex-health secretary Janette Garin, 13 incumbent and four retired officials of the DOH were charged along with the former president.– With Emmanuel Tupas