Union of Local Authorities of the Philippines (ULAP) president Dakila "Dax" Cua urged the Department of Health (DOH) to explain why there is still no dengue vaccine in the country.
Cua raised the concern on dengue over what appears to the country's difficulty in addressing cases of the mosquito-borne disease..
“The Health secretary last year said that the license for a second-generation dengue vaccine could be approved within 2024, but here we are at the end of January 2025 and we have yet to be updated on the status of the much-needed vaccine,” Cua said.
In July 2024, DOH secretary Ted Herbosa said the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) could approve the QDENGA vaccine of Japan-based Takeda Pharmaceuticals within the year.
Cua noted that the company had already filed a certificate of product registration (CPR) from the FDA in 2023.
He pointed out that the Philippines is left behind by its neighbor countries in managing the infectious disease, as the country tallied the highest number of cases and fatalities in the ASEAN last year.
“Malaki sana ang maitutulong ng dengue vaccine, na ginagamit na rin ng ating mga karatig-bansa, sa pagtugon sa banta ng dengue. Kaya sana sa lalong madaling panahon ay maaprubahan na natin ang paggamit nito (The dengue vaccine is a big help that our neighboring countries are using, to combat the dengue disease. I hope that its use will be approved soon),’’ Cua stressed.
Further, Cua also questioned why the DOH has still not released data about the total number of dengue cases in 2024, with the last national aggregate being reported in November.
“Back in November, the DOH reported that there had been 340,860 dengue cases from January 1 to November 16, 2024, which is 81 percent higher than the 188,574 cases logged during the same period in 2023,’’ Cua said.
“We need the annual report so we can see the full picture and properly assess just how much of a threat dengue is. But right now we are blind, and therefore unable to prepare adequately. “Bakit nga ba wala pang 2024 data tungkol sa dengue? (Why is it there is no 2024 data about dengue),’’ Cua questioned.