Public Attorney’s Office Forensic expert Dr. Erwin Erfe confirmed in his judicial affidavit that the cause of death of the children was due to symptoms brought by the inoculation of Dengvaxia vaccine which was still in the experimental stage.
This was the answer of Erfe when asked by Quezon City Deputy City Prosecutor Irene S.
Resurreccion-Medrano in his judicial affidavit in connection with the ongoing hearing of the cases filed before the court in connection with the charges filed by the parents of the children who died of Dengvaxia vaccine.
In his 84-page judicial affidavit, Erfe was asked, “Can you explain to us what do you mean that the underlying causes of death of Anjielica M. Pestillos, Zandro N. Colite, Lenard L. Baldonando, Alexzander Jaime, Aejay O. Bautista, Marc Axl Eboña, Abbie N. Hedia and Jansyn Art F. Bataan, in your findings as Neurotropic-Like Disease, Viscerotropic-like Disease Secondary to Dengvaxia Vaccination, Dr. Erfe?”
Erfe said the victims showed signs and symptoms, “the results of their diagnostic examinations, and forensic examination findings on their bodies are consistent with Viscerotropic-like Disease, Neurotropic-Like Disease, and/or Severe Hemorrhagic Dengue (in the case of Aejay O. Bautista) which are three of the four important identified risks established for Dengvaxia as declared by Sanofi Pasteur, the manufacturer of Dengvaxia, in its “Sanofi Pasteur Dengue Vaccine Initial Marketing Authorization Application submitted to the Philippine Food and Drug Administration.”
The four important identified risks of Dengvaxia established by Sanofi Pasteur, the manufacturer of Dengvaxia, are Severe Hemorrhagic Dengue, Viscerotropism, Neurotropism and Anaphylactic Reaction.
The forensic examinations conducted by Erfe and his team were borne out of the letters sent to the Chief Public Attorney and those coming in person were endorsed to the PAO-Forensic Laboratory for appropriate action.
Erfe said he, together with the Forensic Team of the Public Attorney’s Office conducted our Forensic Examination as requested.
He said they used in the forensic examination of the bodies are either Forensic Examination or Forensic Anthropological Examination, depending on the state of decomposition of the cadaver and Documentation by High Resolution Macrophotography.
“Together with the forensic examination of the body, we also performed a detailed Review and Analysis of each of the dead children’s medical records, including a meticulous review of their respective clinical history and; histopathological analysis of tissue samples were sent to third-party pathologists.”
He said the cause of death of the victims was due to sustained hemorrhages in the lungs, heart, liver and stomach particularly with Angelica.
The other victims also succumbed to the same symptoms, Erfe said in his judicial affidavit.