AGOO, La Union – The Senate and the House of Representatives is currently conducting separate investigations on the alleged irregularities in the purchase and implementation of the P3.5 billion dengue vaccine.
La Union 2nd district Representative Sandra Y. Eriguel, said in an interview recently that lawmakers of the House’s committee on health, chaired by Quezon Rep. Angelita Tan, were very concerned on the health impact of the vaccine because it was not properly studied before it was implemented.
“We are studying the matter because it seems that the purchase of the vaccine is questionable and that the health risk to beneficiaries is not properly studied by medical experts,” said Eriguel, the committee’s vice chairman.
Eriguel, a medical doctor, said lawmakers want that the beneficiaries, children nine-year old above, should be screened properly and that those would be given vaccination should be those already got sick of dengue and not those who are not yet infected with the illness because it might aggravate their situation.
She said that the P3.5 billion vaccine, called Dengvaxia, is intended for a total of one million beneficiaries from Regions 3, 4-A and the National Capitol Region. (Erwin Beleo)