Late flu vaccines, a waste of money

CEBU, Philippines — There should be no delays in the Department of Health’s procurement of flu vaccines, especially at this time of “flu season,” since late arrivals of such medical supplies might only be a waste of time and government resources.

“The flu vaccine is designed in such a way that at the start of the year, the World Health Organization determines what is the prevailing serotype for that year,” Rep. Janette Garin – a doctor by profession – pointed out.

The former health secretary made the statement following report that the flu vaccine procurement has been delayed for the fifth time, which was supposedly done during the first quarter of the year.

Garin, who is the House Deputy Majority Leader, explained that the WHO selects different types of flu vaccine annually, noting that the flu vaccine defeats its purpose if it arrives in the country in December.

“We will only be wasting the funds allocated for that purpose because the prevailing serotype will vary by next year. Also, it defeats the afforded protection because the flu season is August until November,” the Iloilo first district congresswoman explained further.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the flu viruses in seasonal flu vaccines are selected each year based on a variety of data such as epidemiologic data, genetic data, and antigenic data.

The senior administration lawmaker pointed out that the best time to have a flu vaccine is every June or before the rainy season. She likewise emphasized the need for annual inoculation of flu vaccines.

Health experts and groups have been urging the DOH to provide free flu vaccines as early as May.

In a related development, former health secretaries and doctors for a medical organization welcomed the recent decision of the Quezon City regional trial court dismissing the dengvaxia cases against Garin and other doctors for lack of sufficient evidence.

“We are pleased and very thankful to note the decision of the QC-RTC. This was the state of how the justice system works – haphazard accusations without real fact-checking and believing non-experts,” Dr. Minguita Padilla, convenor of Doctors for Truth and Public Welfare, said.

“The prosecution and its supposed star witnesses, Dr. Clarito Cairo, Dr. Tony Leachon, and Dr. Erwin Erfe, could not cite any concrete evidence that came with the accusations. They misrepresented themselves as experts and their testimonies were declared inadmissible,” she stressed.

Judge Cleto Villacorta III noted that the prosecution's witnesses were not real dengvaxia experts, prompting him to threw out the criminal charges, adding that “expert witnesses have a special duty to the court to provide fair, objective, and non-partisan assistance.”

Former health secretary Dr. Esperanza Cabral, convenor of DTPW, pointed out that the damage caused by false allegations included the erosion of trust in Philippine public health, which has likely led to preventable deaths and illnesses if the people have not rejected vaccinations.

“All these accusations were based on misinformation and had politicized the noble intent of public health,” she said.

On the other hand, former health secretary Dr. Manuel Dayrit, also a convenor of DTPW, pointed out that Court's decision sorted out facts from misinformation, expert testimony from layman’s opinion.

"It is lamentable how the dengvaxia controversy eroded public trust in vaccination leading to a drop in vaccination rates in children. There was much misinformation and blame which circulated at the height of the controversy and still remains in the public mind today," Dayrit said.

He is also hopeful that Filipino parents can regain their trust in the benefits of vaccination to protect their children against preventable illnesses. —/FPL (FREEMAN)