ZAMBOANGA CITY — The Department of Health (DOH) is hiring nurses to monitor hospitals of patients admitted brought about by the drastic reaction of Dengvaxia vaccines.
Dr. Joshua Brillantes, DOH assistant regional director, told the Philippine News Agency that they will assign surveillance nurses in each of the provinces and city of Region 9.
Brillantes said they have received reports that some physicians in private practice have injected the vaccine to their patients although the region was not included in the mass vaccination of Dengvaxia.
Dr. Rodelin Agbulos, former city health officer, have received report that four children were injected with Dengvaxia vaccine by pediatricians in this city.
Brillantes said these surveillance nurses will be employed for five years since children injected with Dengvaxia vaccines will have to be monitored for a period of five years.
He said they will coordinate with the hospitals in the region for a speedy monitoring of Dengvaxia patients.
Dengvaxia, manufactured by French pharmaceutical giant Sanofi, has been granted marketing authorization in 2015 by Mexico making it the first vaccine to be licensed in the world for dengue prevention.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued licenses and approved its used in the country.
The DOH reported that 733,713 children from three regions in Luzon have been vaccinated with Dengvaxia under the agency’s school-based immunization program launched in 2016.
The DOH has suspended the dengue vaccination program after it was reported that Dengvaxia could develop complications to children who has not yet suffered dengue. (/PNA)
