MANILA — Department of Education (DepEd) Secretary Leonor Briones on Sunday called for a “strong monitoring” of students administered with anti-dengue vaccine Dengvaxia.
Briones issued DepEd memorandum no. 199, series 2017, ordering the surveillance of students from both public and private schools who have been administered with Dengvaxia whether by private practitioners or through community-based vaccination.
Briones instructed school administrators and school medical personnel to review the master list of students who received the vaccination, regardless of the number of doses received.
The administrators and health personnel were tasked to identify these students and monitor them for any symptom.
The Departments of Education and Health, in cooperation with local government units, are strictly monitoring the condition of students who received the anti-dengue vaccine.
DepEd said that even if the dengue vaccination program has been piloted in the National Capital Region, and Regions 3, 4A and 7, the memorandum also urges the other regions to monitor students who may have received the Dengvaxia.
In a statement, DepEd noted that the parents and teachers’ involvement in facilitating the surveillance system is essential.
“They may help by reporting cases of vaccinated students with fever to the text line that DOH will set up. Health workers of rural health units (RHUs) shall act on these text reports,” DepEd said.
DepEd also reminded schools about the implementation of DepEd memorandum 152, series 2011 (Preventing Dengue in Schools), which requires schools to regularly conduct vector control.
Schools will also conduct forums about the vaccination program and the campaign against dengue.
“Parents are encouraged to participate in these forums,” DepEd said.
The government has allotted more than PHP3 billion for the purchase of Dengvaxia vaccines manufactured by pharmaceutical giant Sanofi Pasteur.
However, on November 30, Sanofi Pasteur has released the result of its clinical study, indicating that Dengvaxia may cause harm to recipients who have not been infected by dengue prior to the vaccination.
The Department of Health has already suspended the dengue vaccination program.
About 800,000 students were already administered with Dengvaxia, but not all of them had prior dengue infection. (Ma. Cristina Arayata/PNA)
