Mayor Crisostomo Garbo immediately dispatched health officers to the Lakandula Elementary School amid reports the students, aged 11 to 12 years, were reported to have developed symptoms similar to dengue.
The students’ teacher, Almira Buerano, told Punto! it was her fi rst time to experience such number of students to be taken ill simultaneously.
She said the students developed high fever one after the other in a span of one week. “One of them developed fever while attending classes only last Wednesday. The rest have been ill starting a week ago,” she said.
At least one has remained at the San Rafael Hospital in this city. “Another was brought to an albularyo but I told the parents to bring the child to the doctor,” she said.
She identified the ailing students as Enzo de Leon who was the fi rst to get sick, Cirila Tagle, John Levi Leono, Hazel Yumul, Myla Libre, Danica Macasing, Kristine Regala, and Kian Soto. Buerano said the ailing students received their first shots of the anti-dengue when they were still in Grade 4 and their second when they were in Grade 5.
Their third and final vaccination was administered some four months ago when they were already in Grade 6.
In a press conference at Clark freeport the other day, Department of Health (DOH) Assistant Sec. Leonita Gorgolon said there is yet no data on whether more shots of the anti-dengue vaccine would increase the risk of “severe” dengue among children who had no history of dengue.
The government halted its anti-dengue vaccination program after vaccine manufacturer Sanofi said that those without history of dengue risk being afflicted with severe dengue after vaccination, and that the vaccine is suitable only for those who had already been afflicted with dengue before.
