The world that we live in today is not exactly the most truthful that it can be. With the age of information perhaps comes an age of deteriorating fact, or its very antithesis, misinformation. Now, the question lies whether society can just continue to live on consuming facts that have not been hatched to its purest form. With the messed-up policies, and emotional campaigning going on, I beg to differ.
For a wide span of 2019, the Philippine news banner has been filled with reported endemics of diseases such as polio and measles, and the infamous dengue. The battles that have been fought and have led to noble conclusions may have revived itself to its 21st century existence. Right now, around 12,700 measles patients and 203 deaths. For another endemic, dengue, a 6-month entry into this year has immediately reported 250,000 cases which has ballooned 98 portions greater than of the previous year, with some 1,000 people dead as of September. These all transpiring after a media blast on vaccines and ban on Dengvaxia towards the end of 2017 happened.
This event, however, feels like a deja vu or a mere reenactment of 2018. A year wherein Public Attorney’s Office (PAO) chief, Atty. Persida Acosta was the face of families who allegedly suffered because of the failure of Sanofi and the Aquino administration in trying to fast track Dengvaxia. Acosta, filled media outlets with raging emotions as to the murder that the vaccine has caused in the lives of people who were administered the vaccine.
However, just recently, the rhetoric’s skeletons have in fact been hidden in the closet the whole time. The dirty lies and secrets are now active to haunt their conscience, guilt and reputation. Acosta’s falsification of investigations and forensics have, this whole time, been the grounds of her claim against vaccination; which to establish, has led people to become more devious to acquire.
Going in depth, here are some of the claims of Acosta that proved to be untrue or at least overly dramatized. At some time in 2017, after Sanofi Pasteur released a statement that the Dengvaxia, in spite of its 93% effectivity to prevent dengue are only as effective to those who have already caught the disease before. While for seronegative patients, it may not be as true. PAO chief together with its forensic expert immediately ruled out autopsies on some 100 patients who died due to the vaccine. This ruling, however, was yet to be clarified by the leading health department, Department of Health. Through their media crusade, their rhetoric was effective, to the point of riding into the worldwide phenomenon of growing skepticism to vaccines.
A circa 2005-2016 status quo, where the Philippines is among the front runner or even the nexus of developing countries when it comes to vaccination compliance. A situation wherein, polio and measles outbreak have tapered down due to the availability of vaccination and have even reached a 0% incidence rate.
This case is a clear and blatant scenario wherein potential perjury may have incurred. Wherein people who have believed propaganda and, for years, digested fragmented pieces of the truth suffer. As the PAO chief, Ms. Acosta may play as an Annalise Keating working through her tenure and putting the blame on mosquitos, however, there is not just one culprit in the death of these disease-stricken children.
The question is now pointed towards the justice system, when will justice, true justice, be served for these victims?
Story by Patrick Lo
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