FORMER Health Secretary Janette Garin said the Philippines is the only country letting “alarmists” cause uproar over the Dengvaxia vaccine controversy, on Thursday, May 24.
The Dengvaxia vaccine, created by French pharmaceutical company Sanofi Pasteur, has been tagged in the deaths of over 80 Filipino children.
During the preliminary investigation at the Department of Justice (DOJ), Garin said “the truth will come out” as the legal process moves forward and scientific facts determined.
“Of the 20 countries in the world using Dengvaxia, only in the Philippines are we allowing alarmists to exaggerate things and sow fear in public,” she stated.
Regarding the documents citing that she had been warned of the negative effects of Dengvaxia even before the immunization project started, Garin said the issue has been tackled during the investigation on Dengvaxia by the Senate.
Represented by the Public Attorney’s Office (PAO), complainants had presented a letter dated March 27, 2016 signed by academicians, scientists, and clinicians expressing concerns on the effect of Dengvaxia during the preliminary investigation.
“Meetings were specially convened by virtue of that letter and I personally requested a pull-out meeting in WHO (World Health Organization) Geneva to present those questions,” she added.
