ADDRESSING the public health scare in the wake of the government's botched anti-dengue campaign, President Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday, January 29, told Filipinos not to be scared of vaccines.
Speaking before his audience in Malabon City, Duterte said he understands that the public have become worried over the government's vaccination program in the wake of the fiasco involving the anti-dengue vaccine Dengvaxia.
The President, however, said the controversial Dengvaxia dengue vaccine should not stop Filipinos, especially parents of newborns, from getting immunized against other diseases.
"'Yung Dengvaxia, simula 'yung nagkaroon ng gulo dito, maraming mga pamilya dito sa Pilipinas, hindi lang sa Malabon, na natakaot ng mga itong vaccination at ayaw na," he said during the groundbreaking ceremony of the new site of San Lorenzo Ruiz General Hospital in Malabon City.
(Following the Dengvaxia mess, many families here in the Philippines, not only in Malabon, have been afraid of vaccines and no longer wanted to get vaccinated.)
"Do not be lulled and be complacent about it kasi ang sanggol talaga kailangan. 'Yung Dengvaxia lang, kung ayaw niyo, okay lang (Do not be lulled and be complacent because your newborns need to get vaccinated. If you do not want Dengvaxia vaccine, that's fine)," he added.
Dengvaxia, manufactured by French pharmaceutical firm Sanofi Pasteur, was administered to over 800,000 Filipino children as part of an anti-dengue immunization program initiated during the administration of former President Benigno Aquino III.
The health scare began when Sanofi Pasteur admitted in November 2017 that Dengvaxia may cause greater risks among recipients who have not previously been afflicted with dengue.
Sanofi's pronouncement had prompted Duque to suspend the government's anti-dengue vaccination program.
Immunization coverage in 2018 slid to 40 percent from at least 70 pecent in the last few years, the Department of Health earlier said.
Amid declining trust in vaccines, health experts have warned against a possible outbreak of measles in the country.
Duterte explained to the public that vaccines are "good" for the person's health.
"Apparently, there is a great drop dito sa mga vaccines (here in the immunization coverage)," he said. "It (vaccine) is good and it is for the health of the person." (SunStar Philippines)