Rollout of Dengvaxia ‘premature’ — health experts

MANILA, Philippines — Health experts on Monday agreed that the rollout of Dengvaxia for the government’s mass immunization program was “premature,” citing the inadequate community preparation.

During the Senate probe into the questionable purchase of the P3.5-billion worth Dengvaxia, blue ribbon chair Sen. Richard Gordon asked the resource persons if the rollout of the dengue vaccines was “premature,” to which they answered in affirmative.

Former health chief Paulyn Ubial admitted that she objected to the introduction of the dengue vaccine when she was assistant secretary because of the lack of social preparation.

“It usually takes one or two years to prepare communities for a new vaccine,” Ubial said.

She likewise noted that the vaccine should have been introduced to the private sector before using it for the government’s public health program.

“Pilot study of a new vaccine is usually a small group—20,000 to at most 40,000 individuals. This vaccine had clinical trial for two decades covering 40,000 people only. Why will you give it suddenly to one million children in one year?” Ubial said.

Dr. Anthony Leachon, former member of the Department of Health Expert Panel on Dengue, said that the vaccine launch should have been done on a controlled scale.

“It’s a logistical nightmare problem. It should not be done as a mass vaccination. It should actually be on a limited scale where the doctors can monitor the patient,” Leachon said.  

Dengue specialist Dr. Mary Ann Lansang also pointed out that the sample size of the clinical trials “was not enough to show significant differences in the vaccine and the placebo group.”

READ: Garin: Decision on Dengvaxia based on 'data available at the time'

‘I wanted to stop it’   

Ubial admitted that wanted to stop the implementation of the vaccination program during her term as the health chief.

“It was very difficult for me to implement this program but I had no recourse. I was already on damage control,” she said.

She added that some lawmakers even warned her that she could go to jail should she halt the implementation.

Ubial was DOH assistant secretary in 2016 prior to her appointment as secretary by President Rodrigo Duterte. The Commission on Appointments, however, did not approve Ubial’s appointment. 

DOH suspended the mass immunization program on December 1, one day after the Sanofi Pasteur disclosed that the vaccine poses a threat to those who had no prior dengue infection. 

More than 860,000 people have been vaccinated with Dengvaxia since it was launched during the term of former DOH Secretary Janette Garin. 

READ: Purchase of Dengvaxia not funded under 2016 nat’l budget