Ejercito ‘very worried’ about deaths linked to Dengvaxia

Sen. Joseph Victor ‘JV’ Ejercito. Photo courtesy of Ejercito’s official Facebook page.

MANILA— Senator Joseph Victor Ejercito on Friday expressed concern on reports that forensic examination conducted on three children given the Dengvaxia vaccine showed patterns that led to their death.

The report from the Public Attorney’s Office (PAO) Forensic Laboratory showed that all three children experienced internal bleeding, enlarged organs, and died within six months after receiving the vaccine.

Ejercito, chair of the Senate Committee on Health, earlier bared that his 17-year-old son, Jose Emilio, was given three doses of the controversial Dengvaxia dengue vaccine.

His son had never been infected with dengue prior to receiving the vaccine.

“Now as a parent of Emilio who was given the Dengvaxia shots, I am very very worried along with the parents of 830k kids,” Ejercito said in his official Twitter account referring to over 800,00 children who received the vaccine.

“This is what has to be addressed the concern and anxiety of every parent and more importantly the future of the kids,” he added.

It may be recalled that the vaccine was purchased by the Aquino administration in 2015 before recent reports showed that it could pose risks to those who have not been previously infected by the virus.

Ejercito admitted that if it were up to him, he would want the manufacturer of the vaccine, pharmaceutical company Sanofi Pasteur, to reimburse the amount paid by the government.

“As a father, if there will be a class suit, they (Sanofi) should refund what the national government paid for,” he said.

He said that his committee will call for another hearing on the issue by February.