Garin faces 12th case over dengue deaths

MANILA, Philippines — Another criminal case was filed yesteray against former health secretary Janette Garin and 36 others before the Department of Justice (DOJ) over the deaths of school children immunized with Dengvaxia vaccine.

Charges of reckless imprudence resulting in homicide and violations of the Anti-Torture Act and Consumer Act were filed against Garin and executives of manufacturer Sanofi Pasteur Inc. and distributor Zuellig Pharma Corp. by the family of John Paul Rafael, an 11-year-old student from Bagac, Bataan, who died in April 2016 after he was given a shot of the anti-dengue vaccine.

The complaint was filed through the assistance of the Public Attorney’s Office, which was tasked by the DOJ to conduct a fact-finding probe and case buildup on the Dengvaxia controversy.

It was the 12th criminal complaint filed against Garin before the DOJ.

So far, the PAO claims it has documented 72 cases of deaths from the vaccine.

Based on the complaint, Rafael got sick a few days after he was inoculated with the vaccine on March 31, 2016.

He died of congenital heart disease on April 11, 2016, but  PAO said its forensic examination showed that he had suffered “brain hemorrhage and internal bleeding in other organs.”