After the scare, DOH regains parents' trust in vaccines - Duque
Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said on Friday there is no more "vaccine scare" among parents in the country.
In an interview in Pasay City, Duque said the Department of Health is thankful to parents that they are now willing to have their children vaccinated.
"There's none anymore...I think we have finally recovered the trust and confidence of the mothers as to the integrity, safety, efficacy, and quality of our vaccines. That's why I'm thankful to the mothers," he said.
Many parents had become hesitant to have their kids vaccinated with anti-measles or anti-polio vaccines, among others, before following the Dengvaxia mess.
A number of individuals, mostly children, supposedly died after they were administered with Dengvaxia, an anti-dengue vaccine produced by French pharmaceutical firm Sanofi Pasteur.
The DOH suspended in November 2017 the government's dengue vaccination following Sanofi's announcement that Dengvaxia could cause severe dengue if given to those who had no prior exposure to dengue.
Duque reminded the parents for the coming round of anti-polio vaccination set January 27 to February 7 in Metro Manila. A similar activity will be held in some parts of Mindanao, such as Davao City.
"Let us not forget to bring our children (in designated places) so that they can be given oral polio vaccine," he said.
A three-year-old boy from Batasan Hills in Quezon City was said to be the latest victim of polio following its emergence in September last year in the Philippines after 19 years that it was a polio-free country. Celerina Monte/DMS
