DENGUE VACCINE SCANDAL

one of the problems with Dengue is that, unlike most diseases that give you immunity, if you get dengue a second time,, you can get a lot sicker: you are more likely to get the hemorrhagic form of the disease if you get a different strain of the disease.

here, Dengue kills a lot of folks and makes more sick.

So they had started using a vaccine in certain areas here: Then the drug company said: there might be side effects

NYTimes article:

The company said further clinical studies had revealed that, in those who had previously had dengue, the vaccine could prevent repeat infection. But for those who had not had dengue, and were vaccinated and later became infected, “more cases of severe disease could occur,” Sanofi said in the advisory... more than 740,000 elementary school students in the Philippines having already received Dengvaxia vaccinations, the government decided to halt the program for the time being..

the gov't defended it's use, noting the World Health Organization okayed it's use.

the Phil Inquirer has more and goes into the worries, but notes that no deaths here so far.

I laugh at the note docs need to take a history if the kids had had the disease: mild cases would never see a doc or be diagnosed since it looks like the flu or other virual illnesses.

but ddeep in the article you note this:
Health advocates are pressing the DOH to file plunder charges against those who implemented the vaccination program.
Duque refused to comment without a review of all the documents and contracts and the circumstances surrounding the immunization program.
The massive program was launched under Health Secretary Janette Garin despite staunch opposition from several medical experts who said the DOH should wait until the study on the vaccine was completed and had enough safeguards for those who would receive it.

Read more: http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/949224/philippine-news-updates-dengue-vaccines-department-of-health-dengue-immunization-program-dengvaxia-2#ixzz503XfG2qJ Follow us: @inquirerdotnet on Twitter | inquirerdotnet on Facebook