THE Public Attorney’s Office (PAO) on Monday claimed that the number of people who died after being inoculated with the Dengvaxia anti-dengue vaccine has risen to 57.
“We already have 57 and many pending cases for autopsy scheduled for this week until next week,” PAO forensic expert Dr. Erwin Erfe told The Manila Times in a text message.
According to Erfe, at least four cases from Cebu and Albay were slated for forensic examination this week.
“We will provide further details about the victims after we have performed the examination,” he said.
PAO said that 54 of the 57 victims were children. In addition, Quezon City police officer Vicente Arugay, Camp Crame utility worker John Rey Pintor and physician Kendrick Gotoc have died.
Thirteen-year-old Marlon Jay Lorenzo was the 54th child examined by PAO, after he died of heart failure on May 15.
PAO chief Persida Acosta said Lorenzo received his first Dengvaxia shot on April 26, 2016, and another on October 26, 2017.
Erfe said brain hemorrhage and enlarged organs were found in an autopsy sought by the boy’s parents last week.
The PAO forensic team led by Erfe and supervised by Acosta had said that children inoculated with the anti-dengue vaccine showed clinical symptoms of headache, abdominal pain, fever, vomiting and diarrhea.
Forensic examination found brain edema and/or hemorrhage, internal organ hemorrhage, and edema or enlargement of internal organs, among others.
During the preliminary investigation on the Dengvaxia case on May 24, PAO submitted to prosecutors a document that it claimed was evidence of French pharmaceutical company Sanofi Pasteur’s admission to the dangers of the vaccine.
Health Secretary Francisco Duque and current and former health officials are facing charges of reckless imprudence resulting in homicide, torture resulting in the death of any person and torture committed against children and violation of Republic Act 9745 of the Anti-Torture Act of 2009.
The Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption and Vanguard of the Philippine Constitution Inc. filed charges at the Department of Justice against former president Benigno Aquino 3rd, former health secretary Janette Garin and former budget secretary Florencio Abad for their alleged involvement in the purchase of P3.5 billion worth of Dengvaxia and the implementation of a massive vaccination program under which more than 800,000 school children were inoculated with the anti-dengue vaccine.