MANILA – While she “respects” the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) decision to indict her and 19 others over the Dengvaxia anti-dengue vaccine controversy, former Health secretary Janette Garin said it might affect the Department of Health’s (DOH) “already suffering” immunization program.
“We respect the decision of the DOJ panel,” said Garin following DOJ’s finding of probable cause to charge her with eight counts of reckless imprudence resulting to homicide.
But she added: “I am more concerned with the impact of the decision on the already suffering immunization program. People might think again that there is something wrong with vaccines, which is not true.”
The ex-DOH chief also said the government should put “primary importance to saving lives rather than politicking.”
“The whole world is presently benefitting from the protection of vaccines and even expanding its use. It is only the Philippines that has politicized the issue,” she added.
The DOJ said Garin and the other respondents should be held liable for “inexcusable lack of precaution and foresight” when they facilitated “with undue haste the registration and purchase of Dengvaxia.”
The other respondents were from the DOH, Food and Drug Administration, Research Institute for Tropical Medicine, and Sanofi Pasteur Inc. – Dengvaxia’s manufacturer.
The respondents, according to the DOJ, were “careless in implementing the mass immunization program.”
The Aquino administration initiated the nationwide immunization program in the summer of 2016, purchasing P3.5 billion worth of Dengvaxia vaccines for one million public schoolchildren in regions reported to have the highest dengue incidence.
The Health department stopped the program in December 2017 after Sanofi Pasteur said Dengvaxia might increase the risk of severe dengue in recipients who had not contracted the mosquito-borne disease.
Over 800,000 school children had already been vaccinated with Dengvaxia at the time.
Garin denied irregularity in the anti-dengue immunization program during her stint at DOH.
In her recent statement, she said the criminal case against her is “very weak” as there is no evidence linking Dengvaxia to the deaths of those who were administered with it.
“We are confident in the dismissal of this case. Twenty countries plus the European Union and the United States are recommending its use. The World Health Organization repeatedly said the vaccine does not cause deaths,” Garin said.
She added: “I hope the country’s doctors overcome this challenging time where life-saving vaccines are demonized and being used as a tool for politicking.”/PN “We are confident in the dismissal of this case. Twenty countries plus the European Union and the United States are recommending its use. The World Health Organization repeatedly said the vaccine does not cause deaths,” Garin said.
She added: “I hope the country’s doctors overcome this challenging time where life-saving vaccines are demonized and being used as a tool for politicking.”/PN
