Garin rapped anew over Dengvaxia

For former health secretary Janette Garin, when it rains, it really pours.

Already swimming in numerous complaints regarding the controversial Dengvaxia anti-dengue vaccine being blamed for a number of children dying, Garin was haled anew yesterday before prosecutors of the Department of Justice (DoJ).

This as another parent filed a criminal complaint against Janette Garin and 36 others at the DoJ in Manila.

Rowena M. Villegas, assisted by Public Attorney’s Office (PAO) Chief Persida Rueda-Acosta, filed the case for reckless imprudence resulting in homicide under the Revised Penal Code.

Garin and her co-respondents were also charged with violations of the Anti-Torture Act and Consumer Act.

Impleaded with Garin were some health officials and executives of Dengvaxia manufacturer Sanofi Pasteur Inc. and distributor Zuellig Pharma Corp.

Villegas blamed on the vaccine the death of her 11-year old son Michael V. Tablate, a student of Calapacuan Elementary School, Subic, Zambales. Michael died on 31 October 2017.

It was the 11th criminal complaint filed against Garin and other respondents before the DoJ so far, as the PAO has already documented 67 cases of alleged deaths from the vaccine.

The 10th complaint was the case of Naomi Nimura, a 14-year-old Grade 8 student from Pasay City who died in November last year after being inoculated with Dengvaxia.

The latest complaint accused Garin and others of negligence through “arbitrarily, maliciously, and deliberately failing to inform the Dengvaxia recipients and their parents/families of the dangers and risks related to Dengvaxia and to obtain their informed consent.”

In her complaint, Villegas said his son received Dengvaxia on 29 March 2016, followed by another shot on 10 November 2016 and the third shot on 12 July 2017.

One week after the last dose, he experienced dizziness, headache, and vomiting. He was given paracetamol and appeared better, but in October 2017 he experienced asthma several times.

“Around a week after receiving his last shot of Dengvaxia, Michael experienced dizziness, headache and vomiting, causing him to miss school. Since Michael was inoculated with Dengvaxia, he started having frequent asthma attacks,” read her complaint.

It also cited the failure of the DoH under Garin to conduct proper screening of Dengvaxia recipients and to implement active and aggressive monitoring and surveillance over the recipients, considering the risks posed by the vaccine to seronegative recipients or those who had no history of dengue.