QUEZON CITY, Philippines – What was supposed to be a cure for dengue turned out to be a cause for alarm.
The Department of Health (DOH) has suspended its first dengue immunization program following the announcement of Sanofi Pasteur, a French pharmaceutical company, on November 29, about the risks associated with their dengue vaccine, Dengvaxia.
According to Sanofi, their six years of clinical data analysis revealed that Dengvaxia is not guaranteed to prevent dengue and poses more risks for people who have no prior infection of the dengue virus; thus it can lead to a more severe type of dengue.
In the Philippines alone, there are more than 730,000 children, at least 9-years old, who received one dose of the vaccine through “Dengue School-Based Immunization Program” administered by DOH in Central Luzon, Calabarzon, and in the National Capital Region.
Dr. Antonio Dans, Philippine Society of General Internal Medicine president, also warned against “antibody dependent enhancement,” a phenomenon where the vaccine might lower the number of dengue cases initially, but could later increase the severity of the disease.
Know more about this vaccine with this infographics.
