The First Dengue Vaccine Now Available in Select Watsons Stores Nationwide

Vaccines are not only for children. You never outgrow the need to be vaccinated. Here are some of the reasons why you need to be vaccinated as an adult;

1. You were not completely vaccinated as a child.
2. Immunity fades over time.
2. Some viruses mutate.
3. Disease prevention.
3. New vaccines were not available when you were a child.

Speaking of which, one of the vaccines that is now available over the counter is Dengue vaccine.

Dengue is a major problem in many countries in Asia, Africa, the Americas, and elsewhere. There are more than 200,000 reported dengue cases in the country in 2016 with around 1000 reported cases leading to death. Besides the health risks, dengue also has an impact on public health costing billions of pesos of tax payers money with treatment costing tens of thousands in pesos per patient.


In response to this, Watsons announced today the availability of dengue vaccination (Dengvaxia) that was recently launched in the country by the Department of Health (DOH) together with the Department of Education (DepEd), and later on was made available in medical clinics last year. Now, Watsons is the first retailer to offer it in the Philippine market.

Danilo Chiong - Director for Watsons Trading Health    
“As part of our commitment to improve the lives and health of Filipinos by making health care more accessible to them, we decided to offer dengue vaccination in our select stores nationwide. Dengue is a recurring epidemic in the country, that’s why we recognize the importance of protecting Filipinos against this deadly disease through the vaccination”, says Watsons Trading Health Director, Mr. Danilo Chiong.

Watsons Team Sai Pascual, Aida Lopez, Viki Encarnacio, Danilo Chiong, Belle Pesayco, Krista Tan with Dr. Rontgene Solante


The first vaccine against dengue, Dengvaxia, was created by leading multinational pharmaceutical company and an expert in the development of vaccinations, Sanofi Pasteur. The vaccine took more than twenty years to develop and has been thoroughly tested, based on World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines. Studies of the vaccine included more than 41,000 people and were carried out in 15 countries including the Philippines. The results were fully reviewed by a committee of independent experts and has also been recommended by WHO.


In the Philippines, the DOH together with DepEd launched the much-awaited administration of the dengue vaccine through school-based immunization approach. This aims to vaccinate about one million Grade 4 pupils aged 9 years old and above enrolled in public schools in several regions of the country.1

As of February 2017, the vaccine has been approved in 14 countries where dengue is endemic including Singapore, Mexico, Brazil and the Philippines.

The dengue vaccine has also gotten the endorsement of the Philippine Society for Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (PSMID) and Philippine College of Physicians (PCP).

According to a study by the University of the Philippines National Institute of Health, the vaccine is expected to reduce dengue cases in the country by over 24 percent in a span of five years.

Who can get it?

This can be administered to people aged 9 to 45 years old.

How many times should we get it?

The dengue vaccination, to be taken in three doses at 0 - 6 - 12 months interval, can protect the individual from all four strains of the dengue virus.


Where is it injected?

Via the Subcutaneous route over the deltoid region.

How much is it?

The dengue vaccination is the latest addition to the vaccines offered by Watsons. It will cost P4000 per dose or P12000 for all 3 doses, which is a reasonable price given the high incidence of dengue and high cost of treatment in the Philippines.

Who CANNOT get the vaccine?

  • Those who have a history of severe allergic reaction to any component of Dengue vaccine
  • Individuals with congenital or acquired immune deficiency
  • Individuals with symptomatic HIV infection or with asymptomatic HIV infection
  • Pregnant or breastfeeding women
  • Vaccination should be postponed in individuals with moderate to severe or acute febrile disease

“Watsons also offer Cervical Cancer, Flu and Pneumonia vaccination at scheduled intervals throughout the year. We will have a doctor in store during vaccination dates to administer the vaccination”, adds Mr. Chiong.

The first scheduled dengue vaccination will be on April 30, 2017 (1st dose), October 29, 2017 (2nd dose) and April 29, 2018 (3rd dose); second scheduled dengue vacation will be on May 14, 2017 (1st dose), November 12, 2017 (2nd dose), May 13, 2018 (3rd dose). This will be available in more than 100 stores nationwide.



 

10 comments

  1. Good thing they have this now.. Somehow we can all have protection against it.

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  2. YEY!! itodo na natin ang pag iingat, kasi di tlga mapipigilan ang mga lamok na may dengue, padami ng padami yan..

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  3. Liza Parafina:

    Thank you r0ckstarmomma sa blog mo. Makapunta nga sa pedia ng anak ko baka pwede na sya sa dengue vaccine dahil malapit ng mag-aral ang anak ko gusto ko magkaroon sya ng proteksyon laban sa dengue. Prevention is better than cure.

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  4. Thanks for sharing about Dengue Vaccine, I'm now aware that this vaccine is not only for kids but also for the whole family. It is very important to have this vaccine. And later at night I'm about to talk to my husband to plan when we'll going to visit watsons. This is very Informative. ����

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  5. Salamat madam sa pag share about dto sa dengue vaccine. I'll make sure na bago mag school ang anak ko, napasaksakan ko na sya ng dengue vaccine para sa ganon may proteksyon sya laban sa dengue. But for now, baby pa naman sya, ang tanging magagawa ko lng ay maglinis ng kapaligiran namin para iwas lamok, iwas dengue.

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  6. Salamat madam sa pag share about dto sa dengue vaccine. I'll make sure na bago mag school ang anak ko, napasaksakan ko na sya ng dengue vaccine para sa ganon may proteksyon sya laban sa dengue. But for now, baby pa naman sya, ang tanging magagawa ko lng ay maglinis ng kapaligiran namin para iwas lamok, iwas dengue.

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  7. I havent tried purchasing vax in Watson's. I'll try doing so soon.

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  8. Thanks for this info. My niece had Dengue thrice already. This is something she needs.

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  9. narecoomend ko na rin yan sa ate ko...thanks tlga po ng marami madam for sharing this info!

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  10. Wow! This is a great news! I experienced Stage 1 of Dengue in 2010, since then, I really took care of myself and I always use mosquito repellent. I'm sharing this blog feature of yours to my family, relatives and friends. Thank you so much! :)

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Any comments, my dear?