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.]
FRIDAY I FEBRUARY 8, 2OI9

BY EDU PUNAY

Public Attorney's Office

Rueda-Acosta has denied
for the measles outbreak ihat
ficials attributed to a
arising from the PAO's Pur
involving the controverslal

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Acosta yesterday tLrned CSSM lot
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if*"f"*':*:ff1*T",;i 'n"o'fi*. said that rAo qid
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Acosta
chief
journafists during the PAO
Acosta baCkS AeOSta
National Convention at the Manila Hotel
Justice Secretary -\4enardo Guevarra
Acosta was reacting to reports that agreed with Acosta that PAO should not
PAO's claim on Denwaxra crealed a vac- bi blamed for ihe measles outbreak'
;;;;;";;;;i;.?;;;;"; the public Guevarra said. the PAo' whjch has
irom avaiJlng themselves"of the govem- been tapped-by the depdrtmenl to. con-
-e"yr program. " duct fait-firding investigation and build
A Erouo of doct6rs iaid Acosta's un-
"ub.iiutlon cases on the Deng'vaxia controversy' isjust
nrnu"t.ljjm rat Dencvaxia caused the performing irs dulies'
!""tt-, J,*"rJ *n"oilflltdren resutted in "PAO cfuef Acosta is just doing heriob
the
the drastic decline in vaccine confidence and certair y does not intend to scare
irr the countrv. public aboui the pos"ible negative effecls
- Thev saii lhe vaccine conlidence of vaccination in general,'' Luevara sard
droppJa to 32 percent in 2018 from 93 in a lext message -
He said the solution to the outbreak
.-i"Jtt in 2015.
Dercent
is an aggressive information drive on
u"a"rrecretary Eric.Domingo
'said the-decline in the immun2ation rate vaccines'
U".-urn"tig"ifi."ntlastyearasaresult"ThafswhytheDOH,withthePresi-
of the Deievaxia conlroversy, although dent's suPPort will-launch a vigorous
he said theie are also olher iactors thal campaign to inlorm the people about the
contributed to the drop in the immr,rniza- necessity of vaccination tb Plevent com-
Jion rate. mon illnesses such as flu and measles,"
Health Secrelary Francisco Duque III he said
aooealed to the public to separaie the Cuevarra gave the assurance ilat the
i."'n"'oi o""g.ru'*ia from the measles DO] would -soon resolve the criminal
vaccine. charges involving the first batch of Den-
-p"o"* sajd he previously soughr the gava-r.iacases filedbefore the dePaltmenl.
coordinafion of pAO in addressirg the "t have direcl.ed the Dengvaxia inves-
Denwaxia conlrovesv. tigating panel to resolve the cases this
H"e said Acosta refused and inslead month," he said
...ti"r"J
-- the DOH and him. When asked if Acosta should be
^ttu"ti^s
;.;i;J;l-tlt itotair fo. the DoH lo blamed {or the measles outbreak' presi-
bl;; tii;'i{o tecause the promotion dential spokesman S;lvador Panelo for his
*Jra-i-Jution o{ vaccind is not the pa-rl sa.id: "1 he tAO,chief is,responsible
, iob of her office. bnough to knon whether her actions
' 'We did nbt cause tlat. We are not the would result into di'cowagin3 people or
ones raho administered the mass vaccina- children or parents to hdve themselves
tt";," ;h" said, referri.rg to the vaccine immunized' So we leave it to her"
scare. Meanwhile, Rep Gary Aleiano of Mag-
"ThosepettinemeaslesiowshoulddaloparblistsaidPresidenlDulerteand
huu"-t u.n""u..iiated in 2015.2016 or Aco.ta are to blame for the vaccination scare
1012. Whu *urrr't lhere a betler campaign that contributed to the measles
outbreak'
bvtheDOHtoritdndwhydidn'itheygo Aleiano sald Ihe controversy over
['."r"-lJott"z' she adied.
-'-e-tt" Dengvaxia and the deat]s that Acosta's
tula even the PAOIs pursuit offic-e had "inconciusively" linked to
'of cisei against those responsible for the the vaccine prompted ihe People to stay
deatlrs alieeedlv caused bv Dengvaxia away trom the govemment's vaccination
rru.lln" hrt"notiting to do with ri'easles program - With l\4ayen jaymalin, Jess
vaccine. Diaz, Christina Mendez

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