By Meanne Corvera
Eagle News Service
Senator Nancy Binay on Friday appealed for the Department of Health and Sanofi to issue a nationwide medical advisory and hold an information campaign on the dangers of the dengue vaccine Dengvaxia.
Binay issued the statement after Sanofi admitted the vaccine could result in “more cases of severe disease” following vaccination “upon a subsequent dengue infection” for those “not previously infected by (the) dengue virus.”
Binay said such a campaign and advisory could avert a medical disaster, especially since up to 400,000 children were injected with the vaccine.
She said there was a need to explain what “severe disease” means in the first place.
“The latest medical report issued by Sanofi is deeply shocking and disturbing especially to any parent whose children have received (Dengvaxia),” Binay said.
She added it was “sad that the DOH ignored the warning of the (Department of Science and Technology) about the issue of patient safety and research integrity of Dengvaxia.”
“Safety should always be the paramount concern when it comes to any immunization program,” she said.