The Public Attorney’s Office (PAO) has autopsied 149 persons who died after receiving shots of the still experimental anti-dengue vaccine Dengvaxia.
PAO Chief Persida Acosta identified the latest autopsied victim as 13-year-old girl Shekina Venice Arciaga, a resident of Quezon City.
Acosta said the PAO forensic team conducted the autopsy on the victim last Thursday.
“She is the 149th victim autopsied by the PAO,” said Acosta.
The PAO chief said Arciaga passed away last October 28 after suffering from severe dengue despite getting shots of the anti-dengue vaccine.
“Not one but three doses of Dengvaxia ang bata,” Acosta said.
Just before the child died, Acosta learned that Arciaga told her mother: “Nanay bakit sabi nila hindi ako magkaka-dengue. Bakit nagka-dengue ako.”
Aside from the 149 victims autopsied by the PAO, Acosta lamented there were other victims who died but their respective families were either hesitant to file suits or have settled with the P50,000 given to them by the government as support.
Meanwhile, Acosta vowed that the PAO will continue filing cases against those who should be held liable for the deaths of Dengvaxia victims.
Just last Monday, the PAO, on behalf of the families of the victims, filed six more complaints before the Department of Justice (DoJ) for the deaths of six school children, namely Renelyn Avellanosa, Psalm Dioquino, Lalaine Laylay, Levie Losanga, Theresa Romano, and Lennon Carl Ribo.
This brings to 55 the total number of complaints filed by the PAO concerning 54 persons who died and one child who survived after getting shots of Dengvaxia. (Jeffrey Damicog)
