DENGUE AND MEASLES OUTBREAK

Statistics1

Measles-Rubella Cases
Jan – Aug 2017 Jan – Aug 2018 % change
Reported Cases 2,554 13,258 419%
Deaths 9 114 1,167%

● Among the 13,258 reported cases of Measles-Rubella from January 1 – August 25, 2018,
53% or 6,998 were tested or had specimens collected. Among the tested cases, 2,338
were classified as confirmed measles cases, while 100 were confirmed Rubella cases.
● The age groups with the most Reported Cases from January 1 to August 25, 2018:
Age Group Reported Cases
1-4 years old 5,053
Less than 9 months old 2,728
9-11months old 1,134

● Majority of the cases (8,897 or 67%) were not vaccinated. Among the top reasons for
non-vaccination were:

1 https://www.doh.gov.ph/sites/default/files/statistics/VPD%20Monthly%20Report_MW1-MW34_2018_No.8.pdf
https://www.doh.gov.ph/sites/default/files/statistics/Dengue%20Monthly%20Report_MW1-MW30_2018_No.7.pdf
 o Mother was busy o Fear of side effects
o Not eligible for vaccination o Forgot the schedule
o Child was sick

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Dengue Cases
Jan – Jul 2017 Jan – Jul 2018 % change
Reported Cases 65,879 69,088 4.9%
Deaths 355 366 3.1%

● Out of the 69,088 reported dengue cases from January 1 – July 28, 2018, 29,925 (43%)
cases were tested. Of which, 301 were confirmed cases of Dengue.
● Most of the cases of reported Dengue belonged to the 10 – 14 years old age group:
15,586 or 23%.
● The largest number of reported dengue cases for January 1 – July 28, 2018 are in
Regions III (10,804 or 16%); NCR (9,263 or 13%); and IV-A (8,901 or 13%).

Issue

In April 2016, the government launched the school-based dengue vaccination program for
more than one million 9-year-old public school students in NCR, Central Luzon, and
CALABARZON. With concerns raised by some health experts, then DOH Secretary Paulyn
Ubial, initially deferred the vaccination program, but allowed its continuation two months later.
2

In November 2017, after Sanofi, the manufacturer of dengvaxia, issued a warning against its
own vaccine, the DOH, now under Secretary Francisco Duque, suspended the dengue
vaccination program.3

DOH Secretary Duque tapped an independent team of experts constituted into the UP-PGH
Dengue Investigative Task Force to look into the deaths of 14 children vaccinated with
dengvaxia. The task force found the following:4
● 3 cases showed causal association. They died of dengue even if they were given
dengvaxia. Two of which may have died because of vaccine failure. Though, the task
force noted that further study of the tissue samples is needed.
● 3 cases had nothing to do with dengvaxia.
● 6 cases developed other diseases within 30 days after getting vaccinated, but there was
no clear evidence their deaths were due to dengvaxia.
● The deaths of the last 2 children can’t be determined because of lack of information
submitted to the task force.

It would seem that it is not yet conclusive whether there is actual causal relationship of death
due to dengvaxia.

However, in an effort to build a criminal case against the former administration, the Public
Attorney’s Office (PAO) conducted forensic examination and autopsies on vaccinated

2 https://www.rappler.com/science-nature/life-health/190022-timeline-dengue-immunization-program-doh-philippines-
dengvaxia-vaccine
3 Ibid.
4 https://www.rappler.com/nation/195070-children-dead-dengue-dengvaxia-up-pgh-panel
 children and those suspected to have died due to dengvaxia. 5 PAO’s investigation has
politicized the issue that it has drawn flak from a group of doctors, including former DOH
Secretary Cabral, asking the DOJ to direct PAO to cease its autopsies and “to leave the
matter of determining the cause of death to competent forensic pathologists. 6”

The group also argued that PAO’s investigations, public pronouncements, and
unsubstantiated accusations only erodes the parents’ trust in the government’s vaccination
program.7

In March 2018, DOH Undersecretary Enrique Domingo noted that immunization rate for January
2018 is down to 60% from 80-85% the previous year. He noted that the “dengvaxia scare”
contributed “partly” to the lower immunization rate.8

He stated that "[b]efore, they (children) would come to our health centers for their scheduled
vaccines. Now we have to seek them (parents) out and convince them. 9"

5 https://www.rappler.com/nation/193191-pao-forensic-dengvaxia-death-up-pgh
6 https://www.rappler.com/nation/195176-esperanza-cabral-doctors-doj-stop-pao-autopsies-dengvaxia-victims
7 https://www.rappler.com/nation/194880-experts-alarmed-panic-dengvaxia-hurts-other-vaccination-programs
8 https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2018/03/07/1794414/dengvaxia-scare-partly-blame-deadly-measles-outbreak-doh
9 Ibid.