Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma called on the Department of Health (DOH) to monitor and help those who were administered the dengue vaccine Dengvaxia despite not having previously contracted the disease.
“That is why we were afraid about vaccines, even before, because sometimes we were not so sure yet, whether they have been tested,” Palma said. He said those responsible for the fiasco should be investigated and sanctioned.
The regional DOH-7 office earlier said 159,766 children have been administered with Dengvaxia in the cities of Cebu, Mandaue and Lapu-Lapu or about 49.34 percent of the 323,779 eligible recipients.
The agency suspended its dengue vaccination program after learning that the vaccine poses risks to those who have not yet contracted the disease.
DOH asked the Department of Education (DepEd) to help monitor the children who have been vaccinated.