THE DOCTORS who were dragged into the Dengvaxia cases remain hopeful that their pending cases will be dismissed after the dismissal of 98 cases due to the absence of direct casual relationship between the vaccine and the children’s death.

Former health undersecretary Dr. Kenneth Hartigan-Go, an internist clinical pharmacologist toxicologist, Fellow of the Royal College of Physician Edinburgh, Fellow of Institute of Corporate Directors, has expressed gratitude for the “enlightenment” on the case, adding that those “fake experts” should have their licenses cancelled.

“Itong issue ay complicated na even mga kasamahan namin na doctor or mga public health specialists ay naghirap sa pagpaliwanag sa publiko,” Hartigan-Go said.

“Ang mga nanlinlang, nagsinungaling, at nagpanggap na eksperto at nagkalat ng maling informasyon ay dapat tanggalan ng licensiya at paalalahanan ng kanilang ethical obligation,” the former DOH official added.

Hartigan-Go was a member of the World Health Organization (WHO) Advisory committees for Safety of Medicinal Products for a decade and six years in Global Advisory Committee on Vaccine Safety (GACVS), the counterpart committee of WHO Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE).

“We just have to stick with the facts of the cases that there was no causal evidence linking the vaccine to the deaths,” Dr. Raymund Lo, an American trained pathologist certified by the American and Philippine Boards of Pathology in Anatomic Pathology, Clinical Pathology and Immunopathology, said.

Department of Justice (DOJ) Usec. Raul Vasquez explained that the agency dismissed the 98 Dengvaxia cases as there was no direct causal relationship between the said vaccine and the death of the children, adding that there are “plenty of factors that supported that re-evaluation and re-examination” of the justice department.

“Sa dami kasi, per batch namin ginawa. Nagkataon, nauna itong 98…’yung mga taong ‘yan lang ang nanghingi ng affirmative relief sa batas at sa batas natin, ‘yun lamang mga nanghingi ng affirmative relief ang mabibigyan ng relief,” he furthered.

“Sinabi ng iba, ‘bat kami naiwan?’ Nagkataon lang kasi ‘yung mga kasong nadesisyunan, sila ‘yung mga main respondents at petitioners.”

Moreover, the DOJ official sided with the scientists, saying that the move made by the medical experts during that time was based on science and studies, adding that the doctos “had to do things fast” due to rising number of dengue cases.

In a radio interview, Vasquez emphasized that for the vaccine to be considered a possible factor in the children’s deaths, the interval between the last vaccination and the fatality must not exceed eight days.

“Lahat ng mga scientific evidence na sinumbit para magkaroon ng koneksyon ‘yung isang vaccination yan ay dapat mag-resulta ng pagkamatay within 8 days from the last vaccination,” he said, adding that according to the evidence, some children died three weeks after their Dengvaxia vaccination, while some died after a year.

“Sa batas kasi natin, sa criminal procedure, dapat may cause effect relationship. Be it a criminal negligence or intentional acts merong direct causal relationship,” the DOJ official furthered.

Aside from these, Vasquez also mentioned the absence of proper explanation on why the respondents were negligent in allowing vaccination of Dengvaxia, stressing that most of the pieces of evidence submitted were based on hearsay.

“Hindi ito personality-driven, ito ay base sa ebidensya lamang. At kami ay sumunod sa ebidensya, inaral namin ng mainam at ito ay lumabas na hindi masusuportahan ang present evidence,” he said.

“Lahat ng mga ebidensya ay hearsay evidence. Walang personal knowledge,” the undersecretary pointed out.

The DOJ earlier ordered the Prosecutor General to dismiss the 98 cases against former health secretary and Iloilo First District Representative Janette Garin and other medical professionals.

According to the medical records, one of the children, aged 11 years old, died due to ruptured appendicitis, which was far different from the records released by the Public Attorney’s Office.

With this, the doctors urged parents to be vigilant against ruptured appendicitis, emphasizing the importance of early detection to prevent serious complications.

A ruptured appendicitis is a medical emergency where the appendix bursts due to inflammation caused by appendicitis, releasing its contents into the abdominal cavity, which can lead to a serious infection called peritonitis. The peritonitis leads to a bloodstream infection called sepsis that is very fatal.

Following the dismissal of the cases, infectious disease expert Dr. Rontgene Solante shared how the medical practitioners, who were supposedly not involved, suffered from being dragged into dengvaxia cases, emphasizing that it affected their professional careers.

The Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 229 dismissed the cases of the doctors. Following the decision, the prosecution, which includes Dr. Tony Leachon, filed a Motion for Reconsideration (MR) but was denied, and “the orders granting their demurrers stand.”

“I welcome the Court’s decision in dismissing the cases against these legitimate medical experts. Justice was truly served. RTC’s decision upheld the principles of fairness and due process in the legal system,” Solante said.

“It is unfortunate that our medical professionals had to endure undue suffering and face significant challenges due to the spread of misinformation propagated by ‘fake experts.’”

Former OIC-DG of the Food and Drug Administration Lulu Santiago, former Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) head Socorro Lupisan, and pediatrician and medical researcher Dr. Rose Capeding were among those medical practitioners who were dragged in the dengvaxia cases.

Solante said that the vaccine underwent a ‘rigorous’ evaluation process and has met the standards of quality and safety.

“She did not have personal participation from receipt of the application to the eventual approval of the Dengvaxia vaccine. She was included in the case simply because she was the OIC-DG of the Food and Drug Administration then,” the infectious disease expert said, referring to Santiago.

Santiago served as a consultant to the World Health Organization (WHO), the Swedish government, and ASEAN in areas related to drug regulation and laboratory analysis and audit. She was assigned as the first  Officer-In-Charge, Director IV of the Center for Drug Regulation and Research.

She published the first edition of Philippine Pharmacopeia as the Project Manager in collaboration with the pharmaceutical industry, academe, the Department of Health (DOH), and the Government of Japan.

Meanwhile, Lupisan, during her tenure, they were able to address MERS in 2014, possible Ebola and avian influenza in 2016, AH1N1 in 2009, and SARS in 2003. She was also among those who prepared Clinical Practice Guidelines for the management of these diseases and shared them with their DOH partners. She has been doing clinical and community-based research since she started at RITM in 1985.

Lupisan also has a specialization in Biosafety and Biosecurity and initiated the setting up of the Institutional Biorisk Management Office in RITM.