Department of Education (DepEd) Secretary Leonor Briones during an interview with reporters on the sidelines of the 2019 Global Education Monitoring Report launch in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig on Thursday, Aug. 1, 2019. Image: Katrina Hallare/黑料社
MANILA, Philippines 鈥� With Malaca帽ang expressing openness to making Dengvaxia available in the market again, the Department of Education (DepEd) and Department of Health (DOH) are currently discussing the possible use of the anti-dengue vaccine once more.
In an interview, Education Secretary Leonor Briones was asked if her agency will be willing to integrate into its school-based immunization program the use of Dengvaxia again amid increasing cases of dengue in the country.
鈥淲ell ngayon, naguusap ang DOH 鈥� DOH will not go into it without DepEd. Last night, nag-form na sila ng joint committees, joint activities kung聽paano magagamit ang Dengvaxia,鈥� replied Briones, who was at the launching of the 2019 Global Education Monitoring Report in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig, on Thursday.
As the country faces continuously rising cases of dengue, Malaca帽ang on Wednesday said it is open to making Dengvaxia available in the market again.
搁贰础顿:听Palace open to make Dengvaxia usable again as dengue cases spike
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This after former DOH Secretary and now Iloilo 1st District Rep. Janette Garin urged the government to 鈥渓isten to real experts鈥� and make the vaccines accessible again to the public.
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Although Briones said she would not blame parents for deciding not to vaccinate their children with Dengvaxia, she noted: 鈥淧ero I would assume after three years, they have further improved on the efficacy or whatever findings that they have been doing on [the vaccine].鈥�
Pressed if聽DepEd will support DOH in case the health agency recommends the use of Dengvaxia again, Briones answered: 鈥淒epende sa usapan, kasi ang DOH ang mag-assess n鈥檡an. As I said, I will assume whatever findings there were during the earlier tests would have been corrected, enhanced or strengthened.鈥�
鈥淚 issued a memorandum noon na instructing all our teachers. Kasi ano ba ang puno鈥檛 dulo ng (dengue)? Hindi ba yung lamok? So ang importante, 鈥榶ung instruction sa amin kailangan malinis 鈥榶ung surroundings,鈥� she pointed out.
鈥淪o 鈥榶un ang nire-remind namin, it鈥檚 not a curative aspect but the preventive aspect that we should not make the environment hospitable to the dengue virus, which is carried by the mosquito,鈥� she further said. /kga
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