THE Department of Health said on Friday they are preparing for the conduct of anti-dengue vaccination in March this year among the targeted 1,077,023 Grade 4 pupils in public schools in the three most populous regions of the country.
DoH spokesperson Dr. Lyndon Lee Suy said they are coordinating closely with the Department of Education in the dissemination of information to the parents and students about the conduct of the immunization in Metro Manila, Central Luzon and Calabarzon.
Dr. Lee Suy said they will ask for parental consent prior to the vaccination which will be provided for free by the government through the DoH’s school-based immunization programs together with the DepEd.
“Aside from seeking parental consent, we have to complete lots of other processes also, like orientation of the health workers who will administer the dengue vaccine,” the DoH official added.
The first dose of the dengue vaccine is scheduled to be administered by March 2016, the second after six months (September 2016) and the third and last dose by March 2017.
Dengvaxia, the world’s first-ever dengue vaccine, will be given for free as part of the goal of bringing “Kalusugang Pangkalahatan” or Universal HealthCare Program of the government accessible, especially to the poorest members of the society so that they can reap the fruits of good governance or be not left behind in the country’s economic growth and development.
The vaccine was procured by the DoH for the first time at a discounted price since the CEO of the manufacturer of the vaccine—Sanofi Pasteur—had recognized the role of the country in the three-phase trial of the vaccine that was completed for a period of almost 22 years.
For each child, the government will be spending PhP3,000 for the vaccine or a total of PhP3.5 billion.
The budget will come from the “Sin Tax” revenues collected from cigarettes and alcohol products. PNA
The students from the three regions have been chosen as the initial targets because it is in these regions where higher cases of dengue have been recorded.
It was also found out in a study that school children who are nine to 10 years old are often the victims of dengue-carrying mosquitoes who usually bite two hours after sunrise and two hours before sunset.
It is during the same time period that students are in schools and therefore susceptible to the mosquito bites.
Through the provision of the anti-dengue vaccine among the students, the government could also be providing opportunity for the other age groups to be protected also because in a way, a herd immunity can be created in the process.
According to Health Secretary Janette L. Garin, the recommendation of experts for the conduct of anti-dengue vaccination among children between nine and 10 years old is because of the big volume of victims for that age bracket which then become source of infection among others because they comprise 50 percent of the patients.
The same study shows that dengue can cause death, loss of productivity, absenteeism, loss of income opportunity, etc.
The vaccine will be effective for individuals who are nine to 45 years old.
Dengue cases in the country were recorded highest in 2012 and 2013. In 2014, the number of cases turned lower in comparison to the previous two years. However, the trend of increase of cases began to be felt again after the middle of 2015.
