The Cebu Provincial Health Office (PHO) has dispatched a team to Dumanjug to conduct its own investigation into the death of a baby whose family raised concerns about a possible link to a measles-rubella (MR) vaccination received earlier this month.
Dr. Sheila Faciol, chief of the Cebu PHO, said on Thursday, Aug. 27, that the team was sent to Dumanjug immediately after the provincial office received the report on Wednesday.
‘We received the report yesterday, and right away today, our team is already in Dumanjug investigating the case,’ Faciol said during the Hisgutan Ta! Media Forum.
The investigation includes information gathering at the Dumanjug Rural Health Unit (RHU) and Barili District Hospital, where the child was brought.
Faciol said the team was expected to complete its initial report by Thursday afternoon.
She stressed that the investigation is intended to establish the circumstances surrounding the child’s death and determine whether there is any connection to the vaccination.
The Dumanjug Municipal Health Office, in an official announcement, said the child died on Aug. 24. The child had received the MR vaccine on Aug. 10, prompting the family to raise concerns about a possible connection between the vaccination and the death.
The MHO said it immediately reported the incident to the Department of Health Regional Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit (DOH-RESU) and coordinated with the DOH and PHO for a proper review.
‘At present, there is no conclusion that vaccination was related to the death of the child,’ the MHO said, noting that determining a possible link would require a careful review of the child’s medical history, health condition, and other relevant information.
Faciol’s statement comes as Cebu continues its MR vaccination campaign targeting children aged six months to 59 months. The campaign, which started on Aug. 10, was initially scheduled to end Aug. 28 but is expected to be extended.
As of Thursday, Faciol said Cebu Province had recorded only a 19.7% accomplishment rate for the MR campaign, which she described as ‘very, very low.’
She attributed part of the challenge to vaccine hesitancy, including the spread of negative and false information on social media that may influence parents and caregivers.
Despite the Dumanjug case, Faciol said the PHO would continue encouraging parents to have their eligible children vaccinated.
‘We will not back down. We continue to encourage our mothers to have their children vaccinated,’ she said.
Faciol also cited efforts by local governments and the PHO to bring vaccines closer to communities and encourage parents to participate in the campaign.
At a recent Cebu Caravan in Tabuelan, she said 10 children received MR vaccinations.
The Dumanjug MHO, meanwhile, urged the public to refrain from drawing conclusions or spreading unverified information while the investigation is ongoing, and appealed for respect for the privacy and grief of the bereaved family.
Authorities said verified information from the investigation will be made public once available.