With the Department of Justice withdrawing the criminal cases against former health secretary Janette Garin and two other former health officials, the government should also revisit its policy on the use of anti-dengue vaccines.
Last year from Jan. 1 to Nov. 16, the Department of Health recorded 340,860 cases of dengue nationwide – an increase of 81 percent from the 188,574 cases during the same period in 2023. Of the total, there were 881 deaths, for a case fatality rate of 0.26 percent, which is slightly lower than the 0.34 percent in the previous year.
The death toll, however, is still a lot for a disease that can be prevented from turning fatal through early screening, testing and medication. Those who have had the disease may also prevent a repeat through vaccination using Dengvaxia.
The vaccine, vetted by the World Health Organization, is currently approved for use in the United States, the European Union and several countries in Asia and Latin America, but only for people who have previously had a dengue infection. Top vaccine maker Sanofi-Pasteur has announced it would discontinue production of the world’s lone anti-dengue vaccine by the third quarter of 2026, but mainly because of low demand rather than efficacy or safety issues. The announcement has raised alarm as dengue cases rise worldwide.
The Public Attorney’s Office had claimed that Dengvaxia caused the deaths of 98 children, based on autopsies conducted by the PAO on the bodies. The DOJ, however, found no scientific evidence for this, and noted that negligence and “conspiracy” in administering the P4-billion program on the part of Garin and her co-accused could not be established.
Garin, former health undersecretary Gerardo Bayugo and former DOH officer-in-charge Ma. Joyce Ducusin were charged with 98 cases of reckless imprudence resulting in homicide and conspiracy after Dengvaxia was administered to 700,000 children mostly in fourth grade in April 2016. The Food and Drug Administration had approved the use of the vaccine in December 2015.
The consequent hysteria over Dengvaxia led to vaccine hesitancy that was blamed for a measles outbreak in 2019 that affected 48,525 people mostly children – the largest outbreak in the Western Pacific – with 338 deaths reported in the early months of 2019 alone. The vaccine hesitancy was carried over into the COVID pandemic, aggravating efforts to contain the spread of the killer virus. With the withdrawal of charges against Garin and her two co-accused, the government should intensify efforts to catch up on vaccination programs and save lives.