Former Health chief says Dengvaxia charges were recycled
FORMER Health Secretary and Iloilo Rep. Janette L. Garin has accused the Public Attorney’s Office of recycling charges in connection with Dengvaxia deaths.
“These charges are recycled,” the congresswoman said in a statement at the weekend, referring to two more charges filed by Chief Public Attorney Persida V. Rueda-Acosta against her on Dec. 13 over the deaths of children who received shots of the Dengvaxia vaccine.
“As for her intentions behind it, I do not know but it is certainly not for the truth nor for the families,” Ms. Garin said. “What they are doing is mere exploitation of grieving parents. They are using public funds for this ambulance chase of nonsensical proportions for selfish interests.”
She said most of the cases filed by the chief public attorney had been dismissed for “lack of basis and substance.”
“For the sake of the public health and the public in general, I urge the media not to give her and other anti-vaxxers the platform to spread lies about medical and scientific issues,” Ms. Garin said.
“Firstly because they know nothing about medicine and secondly, we have been through this before. They were given the air time to talk and spread lies and disinformation, they caused hysteria and ultimately, we all paid the price with the return of Japanese encephalitis, measles and polio.”
The two latest complaints adds to the 55 charges that have been filed by the Public Attorney’s Office (PAO) before the Department of Justice on behalf of the families of alleged Dengvaxia victims.
The two charges concern the deaths of 10-year old Levon Zirine Santos and 13-year old Shekina Venice Arciaga. Each of them received three shots of Dengvaxia.
Aside from Ms. Garin, the other respondents include officials from the Department of Health, Food and Drug Administration, Philippine Children’s Medical Center and executives of Zuellig Pharma Corp. and Sanofi Pasteur, Inc.
They were accused of reckless imprudence resulting in homicide, torture resulting in the death of a person and torture committed against children and violation of the Consumer Act of the Philippines on mislabeled drugs and defective products. — Genshen L. Espedido
