Iloilo Representative Janette Garin said Monday Health Secretary Francisco Duque III contributed to the public’s loss of confidence in vaccines, which could affect the COVID-19 immunization program in the country.
Garin, a former health chief, said that Duque had not corrected the false impression that the Dengvaxia vaccine could be fatal, especially to children.
The controversial Dengvaxia was first given to children in the Philippines during Garin’s term as a DOH secretary. She said it was safe, and many countries worldwide are still using it.
“By having conflicting statements, Duque has been a big contributor to our decline in vaccine confidence,” she said.
“Duque makes it appear that Dengvaxia was for politics rather than health equity. He played to the gallery and pretended that Dengvaxia was for politics and not for public health,” she added.
Garin said that if the DOH would act on the COVID-19 vaccine the same way they did with Dengvaxia, Filipinos would not benefit from its protection and cure.
Garin blames Duque for loss of public trust in vaccines
“At this time of a pandemic, people are looking at the Department of Health for guidance. But the lack of inspiring leadership is a key factor to be considered when we think about how effective the country’s response to this pandemic is,” she said.
“We can bury the country in debt to procure whatever vaccine there is, we can use millions of DOH budget to get celebrities to endorse vaccination but as long as the Department of Health’s leadership is weak, is inconsistent, and remains to be more focused on saving itself than saving public health, patuloy lang matatakot at malilito ang mga Pilipino,” she added.
In November 2017, the government halted the school-based dengue vaccination program after Sanofi Pasteur, the manufacturer of Dengvaxia, advised against giving the vaccine to individuals who had not acquired dengue as it could cause severe side effects in the long run.
Due to the Dengvaxia controversy, the public’s vaccine confidence dropped from 92% to 33%.
In 2018, a measles outbreak occurred in the Philippines, which was blamed on the lack of public confidence in vaccines due to the Dengvaxia controversy.
In 2019, a polio outbreak also occurred after 19 years. It was also blamed on the Dengvaxia because parents were afraid to have their children immunized against the poliovirus.