DOH Assured Dengvaxia Recipients of Medical Services

I've been following the news about Dengvaxia since one of my niece was also vaccinated with the vaccine. One of the good news I read today is that the government, the DOH assured to shoulder medical expenses of Dengvaxia recipients if they get sick.

Photo courtesy of ABS CBN

President Rodrigo Duterte has ordered public hospitals to provide medical services to children inoculated with Dengvaxia, Palace spokesman Harry Roque said Friday.

“The President commanded all public hospitals to give services on all the children who received Dengvaxia,” Roque said in a news briefing in Surigao del Sur.

“I am calling on all parents, not all vaccines are bad. In fact, the investigation on Dengvaxia is still ongoing. It is worse if you stop giving your children]vaccine against diseases that we know are lethal. We understand the hesitance of the parents, but do not be afraid. Because of the fear on vaccines, we are, again, having measles outbreaks and before measles should not be existing anymore,” he added.

He urged parents to have their children vaccinated or immunized against diseases to prevent worse diseases and its complications.

“You will catch worse diseases if you will not receive vaccines. We should be at peace and you should get your children vaccinated against the diseases so your children will be healthy,” Roque said.

The Department of Health suspended the dengue immunization program last year after French pharmaceutical company Sanofi Pasteur, the maker of Dengvaxia, revealed that the vaccine may be harmful to people who have not been exposed to the dengue virus. Furthermore, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) stopped the distribution of Dengvaxia.

For parents with kids who received Dengvaxia (dengue vaccine), we must protect our kids from getting sick by boosting their immune system. It is also important to maintain the cleanliness of our environment to prevent dengue mosquito from breeding. It is also recommended to bring our children to any government hospital is we see early signs and symptoms of dengue.