THE Diocese of Balanga City Bishop Ruperto Santos has likened the Dengvaxia vaccine to the Death March because of the fear of sickness walks in the province of Bataan. I find the comparison as proper and fitting in view of the number of children who perished allegedly because of the inoculation with the vaccine.
As the number of children who were vaccinated with Dengvaxia and died continues to rise, government authorities’ investigations seemed to be endless with many government officials are getting themselves into it.
Some national government officials seemed to be so concerned with the fate of vaccinated children that they continue to conduct fact-finding investigations and pin down those who they think responsible with the deadly outcome of the vaccine.
Sanofi Pasteur, the maker of the vaccine, has cleared its name by stating that they have instructed government health officials to screen children first before they be injected with the vaccine. The screening is supposed to determine whether the children who are supposed to benefit from the vaccine have already had dengue or not.
Those who already had the dengue virus can be “safely” injected with Dengvaxia, while those who have not yet contracted the virus should be spared from being injected with the vaccine. Sanofi said complications may arise if those children who have not yet had dengue had been given shots of the Dengvaxia.
With the effort of the government then to fight the dengue virus, it is quite apparent that some government health practitioners did away with the screening of the children prior to their supposed immunization that they injected many children with the Dengvaxia even if the same have not yet had the dengue virus in their entire lives.
Government health authorities who are holding positions in the national government now continue to pass the blame to former health authorities as the latter deny fault on the Dengvaxia deaths either to free their conscience or to be free from prosecution because of the deaths of children.
With the continuous fact-finding and blaming, the government should instead focus on saving other children who are said to have been injected with Dengvaxia even if they have not yet acquired dengue in their lives.
The government should focus on the solution and not on the problem and who caused the problem. Well, authorities can always have their investigations but, they should focus too on how we can spare more prospective victims of Dengvaxia deaths.
Present Department of Health officials should keep ready public health institutions on patients suspected of having complications from the vaccine. Possible victims of Dengvaxia deaths should be given further attention from the government with free medical attention and logistical support.
Meanwhile, those families who had their son or daughter who possibly died of the vaccine should be given financial assistance and attention to somehow alleviate their anger against the government.
Since it’s the government who is blamed of the vaccine deaths, the government now should do its role on how to keep alive the thousands and thousands of kids who were vaccinated with Dengvaxia despite the fact that they should not have been.
***
For any comments, ideas, suggestions or opinions, text or call The Advocate at 0921-3636360 or send email at dencious@gmail.com