Making Sense Of Dengue Expert Dr. Scott Halstead's Statements On #DengGate

Right now, I read some news which was unfortunately taken out of context when Dr. Scott Halstead has spoken about the whole Dengvaxia fiasco. GMA-7 has reported that Dengvaxia diagnosis can't be based alone on autopsy -- which itself may be true but most people still want to use the report to discredit Atty. Persida Rueda V. Acosta's current investigations. I think Atty. Acosta herself can use some of these hints which were left behind by the 87-year-old doctor.

Here's what he said that may actually show reckless administration and what the Public Attorney's Office needs to consider in their latest forensic investigations:

Halstead said that for any child who receives Dengvaxia doses and later dies, two things have to be considered before concluding that the two are connected:

• unequivocal evidence that the infection was caused by dengue virus, which can be done by either virus isolation or identification of NS1; and
• knowing if the particular individual was given the vaccine when he or she was seronegative or seropositive.

In short, it's possible that not all those who were injected with Dengvaxia died because of the same vaccine. He also stated that the vaccine is effective only for seropositive people. Here's also something that PAO may want to consider in their further investigation:

He maintained that Dengvaxia is effective in protecting people who are seropositive or have had prior dengue immunity, but not effective in preventing disease in people who are seronegative at the time they were vaccinated.

Halstead earlier said that a test to determine if a person is seronegative or seropositive should have been done first before Dengvaxia was administered.

"We don’t want people to feel that vaccines are dangerous," he said.

"I’ve been a pro-vaccination all my life. We do not want vaccines to be injured by this. The children who are at risk now, I hope we dedicate to getting these children to clinical care early. Parents come in early and physicians know how to handle them."

The problem may not be administering Dengvaxia but the fact that the risks were not considered. The people who died from Dengvaxia may have been seronegative. In short, the doctor wasn't entirely dismissing the possibility of foul play. He already mentioned that if children who are seronegative got administered then it would be dangerous.

CNN Philippines also has the following to say which I'll show what the doctor has to say where he was actually astonished when Philippines. This would be something to show that while Dengvaxia is not the problem -- but its reckless administration as it's something that wasn't meant to be mass vaccinated:

The dengue expert who warned against the negative implications of Dengvaxia said he was bothered to find out the Philippine government carried out the nationwide immunization program.

Dr. Scott Halstead, a physician who has studied vaccines since 1957, faced the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee for the first time on Tuesday to share his expertise on dengue vaccines for the investigation into the controversial Dengvaxia.

Committee Chairperson Senator Richard Gordon asked Halstead if the implementation of the nationwide dengue immunization program during the Aquino administration, which put over 830,000 children at risk, was reckless.

The dengue expert replied, "I was quite astonished and quite upset the mass immunization was going forward," he said during the 7th Senate hearing into Dengvaxia.

He added, "If you've been vaccinated and you're hospitalized, something is very wrong - that's what I call serious adverse event."

Halstead said he tried to forewarn the Philippine government before the immunization program took place in April 2016, but the program still went on.

In a study published in medical journal "Vaccine" in March 2016, Halstead warned that Dengvaxia should not be administered to seronegative individuals or people who have not been infected with the dengue virus.

He said Sanofi Pasteur recognized his early warning in 2016 when it issued a printed rebuttal, saying Halstead's study lacked basis.

Sanofi's Asia Pacific head Thomas Triomphe was quick to defend the company saying it was already in March 2017 that Sanofi have found out about the risks of Dengvaxia.

"We only found out in 2017 when taking the advice of many people because we work with everybody" Triomphe said.

Halstead added the government should have first administered blood tests on the students before it carried out the mass vaccination program.

Senator Gordon believes the government failed to exercise due diligence and that the proper authorities were remiss in their duty in providing the right information and setting the proper safeguards against Dengvaxia.

Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said the DOH has been constantly campaigning for early detection of dengue symptoms. He also said he has a signed memorandum of agreement with medical groups committing they will not charge in excess of what government agency Philhealth will reimburse.

So does this make Atty. Acosta a quack investigator as the Dilawans would like to suggest? Would this absolve all those guilty such as Dr. Janette Garin from their responsibility? This is obviously a serious consequence of what could happen if you don't want to follow simple guidelines.

Dr. Halstead has revealed that there should have been blood tests but there was no blood test done before the vaccines were administered. It was a vaccine meant for people who already previously contracted the dengue virus or seropositive people -- not for seronegative people. Those were very simple guidelines to follow. Doctors should have done blood tests first before any child would pass for the Dengvaxia vaccine. Instead, all of them were injected whether they were qualified or not resulting to the massive mess today.

Would have blood tests been done then I don't think fatalities would have reached that high. Blood tests should have been done to make sure that only children who were seropositive were given Dengvaxia and not those who are seronegative. It should have not been rushed or mass vaccinated considering it's a very life and death situation.