Department of Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa said the government was evaluating whether to introduce the Qdenga vaccine in the Philippines to prevent dengue in children.
The Food and Drug Administration has been reviewing the application of Japan-based Takeda Pharmaceuticals for a certificate of product registration (CPR) for Qdenga since 2023.
“We will not use the Qdenga as a mass-based immunization. It has to be done in your clinics because what we’ve learned from Dengvaxia was that you should know the serologic status of the person you’re giving the dengue vaccine to. So, it’s very important that you take a serologic test [to measure antibodies in the blood] before you decide to give any of these new dengue vaccines,” Herbosa said during the 2nd Dengue Summit organized by the Philippine Medical Association on Wednesday.
In 2023, Herbosa said that he had no plans to reintroduce Dengvaxia due to controversies surrounding the vaccine.
This followed after the manufacturer advised against prescribing Dengvaxia to patients who have not had the virus in the past, since it may cause severe diseases in the long run.
Dengvaxia was even linked to the deaths of Filipino children, but the Department of Justice withdrew the criminal charges against former Health Secretary Janette Garin and several others early this year for lack of adequate grounds for conviction.
Research Institute for Tropical Medicine—Research and Innovative Office head Dr. Charissa Borja-Tabora said the World Health Organization recommends the use of Qdenga in children ages 6 to 16 years in settings with high dengue transmission.
“The vaccine is recommended as a two-dose schedule with a minimum interval of three months between doses. It is not advised to reduce the interval between doses. If the second dose is delayed for any reason, it is not necessary to restart the series and the second dose should be administered at the first available opportunity,” the WHO said.
Borja-Tabora added that further innovations and research are being conducted for more effective treatment and prevention of dengue.
This includes additional vaccines in development, as well as antibody therapies for passive immunization.
“Vaccines provide direct individual protection against dengue infection, and critically, significantly reduce the risk of dengue hospitalization. And, of course, if you’re able to immunize a certain number or percentage in the community, then you also decrease the amount of virus circulating in the community,” she said.
According to the DOH, the Philippines recorded 119,000 dengue cases as of May 31, up 59% compared to the period from January to May 2024. A total of 470 dengue-related deaths were also recorded in the first five months of the year. — VBL, GMA Integrated News
