THREE of 14 deaths that were reported initially to have been caused by the anti-dengue vaccine, Dengvaxia, were found to have a “causal association” to the drug, according to an independent team of experts from the University of the Philippines-Philippine General Hospital (UP-PGH) in a report released on Friday.

This means the individuals in the three cases were given Dengvaxia before they contracted the disease, the PGH Dengue Investigative Task Force said in a media briefing.

EXPERT PANEL Members of the panel formed to look into cases of deaths attributed to the anti-dengue vaccine Dengvaxia discuss their findings in a news conference on Friday. From left: pathologist Ma. Cecilia Lim, Philippine General Hospital director Gerardo Legaspi, Health Undersecretary Rolando Domingo and panel chief Juliet Sio Aguilar. PHOTO BY BOB DUNGO JR.

The task force also said that two of the three deaths may have been actually because of “vaccine failure” or the disease was acquired even after the individuals were “appropriately and fully vaccinated.”

The task force defined “causality” as “the relationship of two events in which the second event is a consequence of the first. Sometimes, multiple factors may cause the event or may function as co-factors when the event occurs.”

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However, the task force said further tests would be made on the tissue samples and antibodies of the victims before it could make a conclusion.

The other cases included three with no links to Dengvaxia but were caused by other diseases and not the vaccine. Six deaths were due to other diseases that were contracted within 30 days after vaccination but still had no links to Dengvaxia.

Two cases could not be classified because of inadequate information.

“These results strengthen our decision to suspend the Dengue Immunization Program as Dengvaxia is not fit for a mass immunization program that does not screen for prior dengue infection and co-morbidities of children before the administration of the vaccine,” Health Undersecretary Rolando Domingo said.

The PGH-DITF report used the World Health Organization (WHO) Algorithm for Causality Assessment of Adverse Events Following Immunization – “a systematic, scientifically sound, and universally accepted procedure of assessing causality of events following any vaccination.”

Different reports

Following the admission by pharmaceutical giant, Sanofi Pasteur, that Dengvaxia, which it manufactured, posed a risk to first-time dengue patients if used prior to acquiring the disease, several deaths, mostly of children, were blamed on the vaccine.

The Public Attorney’s Office (PAO) and the Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption (VACC) have been assisting the families of the victims.

PGH Forensic Pathologist Maria Cecilia Lim said she had yet to look into the findings of the forensic team of PAO but suggested that UP-PGH be tapped to perform the autopsy on exhumed bodies.

“The problem is we never really had the chance to look at the findings [of PAO] since they were not shared with us,” Lim said.

Last December, the Department of Health (DoH) sought the assistance of experts from the UP-PGH to validate alleged deaths attributed to Dengvaxia.

Health Secretary Francisco Duque 3rd said this would provide transparency in the ongoing investigation of alleged dengue vaccine deaths.

The panel is made up of 10 experts with no previous or present affiliation to any vaccine manufacturer so as not to affect their review.

The Health Department suspended last December the dengue immunization program for schoolchildren after the Sanofi disclosure. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ordered the recall of the medicine on the same month.

The government spent P3.5 billion for the immunization program, which began during the time of Health Secretary Janette Garin under the administration of President Benigno Aquino 3rd. The number of inoculated individuals was estimated at 830,000, mostly children.

The DoH has been under heightened surveillance and was monitoring the status of the inoculated individuals. The Health department has promised to provide hospitalization to the schoolchildren through the Philippine Health Insurance Corp.