Dengue vaccines safe, doctors say

by Patricia B. Mirasol, Producer

photo by Patricia B. Mirasol

Dengue vaccines are safe, and they are one way of combatting the viral infection spread by mosquitoes, according to doctors at the February 18 launch of Empowering Networks to Defeat (E.N.D.) Dengue coalition.

E.N.D. Dengue, founded by the Philippine Medical Association (PMA), is the largest coalition of doctors dedicated to combating dengue. It aims to strengthen public awareness, prevention, and response efforts across the country.

That the vaccine is ”nakakamatay (can kill) is the number one misinformation,” said Dr. Mildred Manalac-Mariano, secretary general of the PMA, at the launch.

In a letter to President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. dated February 12, PMA “urges the government to grant access to the new-generation dengue vaccines and allow Filipinos the right to protect themselves from this dreadful the disease.”

“With recent advances in vaccine technology,” the letter read, “there are new generation dengue vaccines in the market or in Phase 3 clinical trial which showed promise in terms of vaccine effectiveness and safety.”

“Sa sampung taon na pag-aaral namin ng Qdenga, wala po kaming nakitang masama (In the ten years we’ve studied Qdenga, we have yet to see any ill effects from it),” said Dr. Lulu C. Bravo, head of the vaccine study group of the National Institutes of Health – University of the Philippines Manila.

Qdenga is the biopharamceutical company Takeda’s dengue vaccine. It is undergoing approval with the Philippine Food and Drug Administration.

“Puwede pong mas mahina ang efficacy doon sa mga hindi pa nagkakaroon ng dengue (The vaccine could have a lower efficacy for those who havent’ had dengue yet),” she said at the event.

“Sa bakuna, ang importante hindi kayo ma-ospital at hindi kayo mamatay (When it comes to vaccines, what’s important is that you don’t get hospitalized and you don’t die),” she said, adding that no vaccine can give a 100% assurance that an individual will not fall ill from a disease.

The Department of Health (DoH), in a February 17 statement, says it sees a concerning rise in the number of dengue cases in nine local government units, including Quezon City.

The DoH uses the 5S strategy to prevent dengue:

search and destroy mosquito breeding sites;

Self-protection measures (such as the use of insect repellents);

Seek early consultation

Support fogging, and

Sustain hydration.

It reminds the public to practice proper hygiene and self-protection against W.I.L.D diseases (Water and food-borne diseases, Influenza-like illnesses, Leptospirosis, and Dengue) as the country experiences increased rainfall and thunderstorms due to the Shear Line, Intertropical Convergence Zone, and Easterlies increasing the risk of weather-induced diseases.