V.

JUSTIFICATION
Dengue has been rampant in the Philippines since 1953. The group decided to

tackle dengue vaccine as it could potentially decrease the high number of cases of

dengue, here in the Philippines. It is a timely manner to discuss dengue since rainy days

already started and the rainy season brings perfect breeding conditions for the

mosquitoes.

According to the United Nations University, Philippines is the top 7 country with the

highest cases of dengue. From 2008 to 2012, the Philippines' Department of Health

(DOH) reported 585,324 dengue cases, with a case fatality rate (CFR) of 0.55% or 3,195

deaths.

In Mindanao, according to Sunstar (2016), Cagayan de Oro has the highest

number of dengue cases. From January 2016 to September 2016, the number of cases

reached up to 1619 cases and 7 deaths were reported. According to Sergio Ramon

Bautista, the officer in charge of the Environmental Sanitation Office, he said that they

are anticipating that the 2016 toll of dengue patients will be greater than 2015s which

only went up to 1,934 with only four deaths. The top 10 barangays with the highest

number of dengue cases are Carmen, Kauswagan, Balulang, Lumbia, Bulua, Lapasan,

Macasandig, Bugo, Patag, and Canitoan.

There is no treatment for Dengue Fever, however, after 20 years of research,

Sanofi Pasteur, a French company, has developed the first dengue vaccine called

Dengvaxia. The company will be taking the product directly to the countries that are most

affected by dengue fever and marketing it there. The dengue vaccine is classified as a

live recombinant tetravalent. It is a preparation of killed viruses, used to protect against

organisms that were injected. And now, it is available in the Philippines. According to CNN

(2016), the Philippines is the first country where the vaccine will be made commercially

available. The Department of Health (DOH) has been conducting vaccinations in public

schools in three regions where the incidence of dengue is high. As of June 2017, the DOH

Region 7 held a dengue vaccine orientation and aims to give the vaccine to 470, 000

children, who are age 9 to 14.

The topic is entitled, Shots Fired! The Fight Against the Bite. After how many

years of fighting dengue, the target has been finally hit, a vaccine that could potentially

reduce the number of dengue cases has been developed, which is Dengvaxia. The group

aims to spread awareness and update the beneficiaries about the dengue vaccine. As of

now, both the company who made the vaccine, Sanofi and the vaccine itself, Dengvaxia

are facing a lot of issues such as the long-term safety and side effects of the vaccine and

Sanofi is now facing a problem with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regarding

their promotional advertisements. The group aims to notify the beneficiaries about these

issues as well as the pros and cons of taking the vaccine so that they will be

knowledgeable about its benefits and the probable problems that they will be facing in the

future. Our knowledgeable speakers from the Department of Health Region 10 will give

all information to ensure validity and reliability. They will also discuss what will be the

future plans of the DOH with regards to the dengue vaccination.