VOTING 231 with no objection, the House of Representatives passed on third reading the proposed P1.16-billion fund to be used for those inoculated with dengue vaccine Dengvaxia.

The voting on House Bill 7449 happened late Tuesday, May 29, after President Rodrigo Duterte certified the bill as urgent.

The budget, as stated in the bill, will be sourced from the P1.16 billion refunded by Dengvaxia-maker Sanofi Pasteur.

Of the amount, P945,827,530 will be used for the medical assistance for admitted patients and outpatients, P78,296,250 for the Assessment and monitoring of Dengvaxia vaccinees, P70,000,000 for the supplies and medicine for the patients, and P67,586,220 for the human resource for health deployment.

The anti-dengue vaccine was administered to close to 900,000 individuals, majority were children, in 2016.

The Department of Health suspended the mass immunization program months before the 2017 ended after Sanofi reported that those who never had dengue before but received Dengvaxia could suffer from severe dengue. (SunStar Philippines)