Garin sues successor Ubial over Dengvaxia

By Vann Marlo M. Villegas
FORMER health secretary Janette P. Loreto-Garin has charged her successor Paulyn Jean B. Rosell-Ubial with reckless imprudence resulting in homicide, in connection with the controversial Dengvaxia program.
In her complaint filed before the Department of Justice, Ms. Garin claimed that, during her term, the Department of Health limited the Dengvaxia immunization to the National Capital Region, Region IV-A and Region III, for Grade 4 students nine years old and above.
She claimed further that after her term ended on June 30, 2016, Ms. Ubial expanded the vaccination program into a community-based program. She also said Ms. Ubial expanded the coverage to persons aged nine to 60.
“Sec. Ubial also relaxed the protocols on securing prior consent by authorizing immunization on an ‘implied consent’ basis. Sec. Ubial considered as implied consent the mere act of a parent bringing his/her child in the community center for immunization,” Ms. Garin said in her complaint.
She also said reports of deaths linked to Dengvaxia came only after the expansion to the community-based immunization.
“The shift to community-based immunization (i.e., the use of implied consent and the lack of screening and monitoring mechanisms) initiated by Sec. Ubial was contrary to the globally-espoused recommendation for school-based immunization. This weakened the screening and monitoring mechanisms, which were the advantage of school-based immunization,” she added.
Community-based vaccination, Ms. Garin said, is prone to abuse by local politicians who might use the vaccines as “political tool” to initiate free vaccines even for those unqualified.
“Since the Community Based program is prone to many abuses, the limited supply allocation for the estimated poor children is substantially reduced,” she said.
Ms. Garin also said Ms. Ubial expanded the vaccination to Region 7 and issued a note that the program be expanded to three more regions.
Ms. Ubial was health secretary until October 2017 when the Commission on Appointments rejected her appointment.
Ms. Garin, other government officials, Dengvaxia manufacturer Sanofi Pasteur, Inc. and distributor Zeullig Pharma Corporation are facing 17 complaints including reckless imprudence resulting in homicide, and violations of the Anti-Torture Act and Consumer Act in connection with deaths linked to the vaccination program.