Girl, 12, hospitalized 6 mos. after dengue vaccination

A 12-YEAR-OLD girl from Minglanilla, Cebu was hospitalized earlier this week allegedly for dengue six months after she was vaccinated with Dengvaxia.

Kryslyn Pillazo, 12, of Barangay Vito, Minglanilla, was admitted at the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center (VSMMC) after 10 days of suffering from fever.

She also complained of frequent coughing and shortness of breath.

But Department of Health (DOH) 7 officials said Pillazo may not be suffering from dengue due to the symptoms that she showed while hospitalized.

Dr. Jaime Bernadas, DOH 7 director, said Pillazo had been suffering from severe anemia, peptic ulcers and had an abscess on her left lung.

In an interview yesterday, Dr. Jonah Damaso, Minglanilla municipal health officer, said that Pillazo was vaccinated with Dengvaxia in July last year.

Pillazo was one of more than 2,000 kids in Minglanilla aged 9 to 12 who were vaccinated with Dengvaxia last year.

While there are initially symptoms of dengue in Pillazo’s case, Damaso said a complete blood count (CBC) showed that she was suffering from severe anemia and other ailments not related to dengue.

The Minglanilla Municipal Government provided financial assistance to Pillazo’s family for her medical and hospitalization needs.

Concordio Mejias, Minglanilla municipal administrator, said they initially released P8,000 to Pillazo’s family.

Aside from Pillazo, two other children in Barangay Camp 8 are being observed after showing dengue-like symptoms. Both were also vaccinated with Dengvaxia last year.

In an interview with SunStar Cebu yesterday, Bernadas said he has tasked his dengue coordinators to assess Pillazo’s case.

But Bernadas clarified that Dengvaxia is a vaccine, not a live virus, and will not cause dengue.

“What happens after immunization when the vaccinee develops dengue infection is when he is bitten by a mosquito that is infected or is a carrier of the dengue virus,” Bernadas said.

He said that those in Cebu who were given the first dose of Dengvaxia can still suffer from dengue as they’ve yet to be administered with the two last doses.

Bernadas said that as of Jan. 19, 26 children who were vaccinated with Dengvaxia had been hospitalized after contracting dengue.

Of the 26 cases, 13 were confirmed to have contracted dengue. Of the 13 cases, four had dengue with no warning signs, three suffered from the ailment with warning signs and six contracted dengue through other means.

The had been discharged from the hospital. (JKV, USJ-R Intern Aubrey Secuya)