(Eagle News) — The Supreme Court on Wednesday asked several government officials to comment on the petition seeking to compel them to address the health risks attributed to Dengvaxia.
In a press conference, SC Spokesperson Theodore Te said the respondents–Health Secretary Francisco Duque III, Department of the Interior and Local Government officer-in-charge Catalino Cuy, Education Secretary Leonor Briones, Food and Drug Administration Director General Nela Charade Puno, and program director of the Department of Health-National Center for Disease Prevention and Control Dr. Lyndon Lee Suy—-were given ten days to submit their comment.
In the petition filed by Gabriela and 70 parents and their children who were administered the anti-dengue vaccine, among others, the petitioners sought to compel these agencies to provide “free medical services” to those who experience side-effects from the vaccine, or those who suffer from severe dengue.
The petitioners argued that the services should continue “until it would have been determined and declared by competent and medical and/or scientific experts that the threat/s brought about by the Dengvaxia vaccine have been minimized or eliminated.”
The petitioners also asked the SC to compel the Department of Health to probe whether it was safe to use Dengvaxia in the first place.
They said the results of such a review should be made public but should also be subjected to review by “independent and competent medical experts.”
Over 800,000 schoolchildren were administered Dengvaxia under the government’s national immunization program since it was procured during the term of then-President Benigno Aquino III.
The program was suspended after Sanofi Pasteur admitted its vaccine could cause “severe cases” in those who have not had dengue beforehand. With a report from Moira Encina, Eagle News Service