BALANGA CITY, Bataan — Some 13,004 public elementary school children in 11 Bataan towns have completed the third dose of Dengvaxia from April to June 2017, the Provincial Health Office (PHO) of Bataan said.
Dr. Rosanna Buccahan, PHO chief, said 14,615 children in Grade 5 aged nine years and above were given the first dose from April to June 2016, followed by the second dose after six months of 13,707 children.
“The number of those vaccinated children declined because there were some who transferred to other places and there are others that did not want to,” she said.
Buccahan also said her office has not received any complaints or problem after vaccination.
“There is what we call Adverse Event Following Immunization (AEFI). For the whole month after immunization, we are monitoring all children who were given dengue vaccine. Beyond one month, we did not receive any complaint about the vaccine,” she said.
The health officer said they were in regular surveillance and monitoring of 13,004 children who have completed the third dose of dengvaxia.
“There is a new memorandum from the Department of Health wherein the monitoring will be for five years or until 2021,” Buccahan said.On dengue cases, she said the number went down by 30%.
On the 47th Morbidity Week from January 1 to November 25, 2017, there were 2,015 cases as compared to 2,871 for the same period in 2016.
The fatality rate also decreased from 11 deaths in 2016 down to 5 in 2017.
“We are not missing in our campaign to always keep clean the surroundings. Prevention is the best for the dengue program,” she said.
Buccahan said if needed, they conduct search and destroy by fogging and advise villagers for early consultation should dengue symptoms arise.
Buccahan begged off to comment on the death allegedly from dengue of Christine Mae de Guzman, 10, a Grade 5 pupil, of barangay Sisiman, Mariveles, saying she is leaving the matter to higher authorities.
De Guzman died October 15, 2016, some six months after she was given first dose of Dengvaxia on April 6, 2016. (Ernie Esconde/PNA)
