MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Health’s (DOH) office in Mimaropa has identified 74 people in the region who had received the anti-dengue vaccine, Dengvaxia, and two of them required medical assistance.
“One of the two Dengvaxia recipients complained of abdominal pain and headache after suffering from fever, colds, and vesicular rashes,” DOH 4-B (Mimaropa) director, Dr. Eduardo Janairo, said in an interview Thursday.
“The other one was brought to the provincial hospital due to dengue,” he said, adding that the two were given free medical assistance, have been discharged, and have fully recovered.
Janairo noted that most of the 74, who were from the provinces of Marinduque, Oriental Mindoro, and Occidental Mindoro, received the vaccine from private clinics as the region did not have a dengue mass immunization program.
Three children who reside in the region, however, were immunized in public schools in other regions and they are being monitored, he said.
“Although there was no Dengvaxia immunization given in the region, we chose to seek and monitor those who have been vaccinated from the priority areas, such as Region 3 (Central Luzon), Calabarzon region and National Capital Region, last year but were residents of Mimaropa and also those who received the vaccine from private clinics and private practitioners,” said Janairo.
He assured that DOH 4-B is ready to help Dengvaxia recipients who would need assistance.
“The regional office, through its medical assistance program, will handle their hospitalization or any medical assistance, should there be a need for one,” Janairo said.
He also said they have begun providing dengue first aid kits to the region’s Dengvaxia recipients.
Each kit contains two bottles of mosquito repellant, two bottles of multivitamin syrup, two bottles of ascorbic acid syrup, three blister packs of paracetamol, two sachets of oral rehydration solution, an insecticide-treated net, a thermometer, two packs of moisturizing soap, and a manual on how to use the dengue kit.
