MANILA – The Public Attorney’s Office (PAO) on Thursday said another recipient of the controversial anti-dengue vaccine Dengvaxia has died.
PAO forensics team chief, Dr. Erwin Erfe, said teenage victim JC Albert Legaspi passed away while undergoing treatment at the Veterans Memorial Medical Center in Quezon City on Wednesday.
“He died yesterday. His parents and relatives asked for help from the PAO and its forensics team in examining the remains,” Erfe said in a statement, noting Legaspi previously suffered from dengue and got vaccinated with Dengvaxia three times in June 2016, February 2017, and September 2017.
Erfe revealed that Legaspi had multi-organ enlargements and bleeding.
“It is consistent with the other victims we autopsied since December 2017,” he said.
Erfe reminded that Dengvaxia manufacturer Sanofi Pasteur itself issued warnings that the vaccine has four adverse side effects, namely, severe dengue, anaphylactic reaction, viscerotropism, and neurotropism.
He noted that the autopsy of Legaspi showed there was an enlargement of the liver, spleen, heart, kidneys, and pancreas.
Erfe added there were also extensive bleedings of his heart, kidneys, gastrointestinal tract, lungs, and brain. He assured that the PAO will file complaints against those who should be held responsible for the latest death.
“The findings of the forensics team is very clear,” he said.
The PAO has been accepting the requests of the families of Dengvaxia victims to assist them in the prosecution of those who should be held responsible for those who suffered and died due to the vaccine.