TB prevalent in PH
ALTHOUGH it is a curable and preventable disease, tuberculosis (TB) is still prevalent in this poverty-stricken Southeast Asian nation of more than 110 million people.
And it is not only an issue for the Department of Health, but an issue that involves different state offices, according to Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire.
And government records show that the Philippines ranks fourth worldwide in the incidence of tuberculosis, which is caused by bacteria that spreads to the lungs.
It spreads from one person to another througrh microscopic droplets released into the air.This happens when a TB patient coughs, speaks, sneezes, spits, laughs or sings.
In 2021, the highly-infectious TB killed a total of 1.6 million people across the globe, including more than 187,000 persons with HIV, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
And in the Philippines, there were 311,000 and 263,000 TB cases in 2021 and 2020, respectively.
Thus, we commend DOH Undersecretary Vergeire for emphasizing the importance of a holistic approach and inter-agency collaboration in the elimination of TB nationwide
Vergeire, concurrently spokesperson of the DOH, aired the statement during last Friday’s 7th National Coordinating Committee Conference for Tuberculosis-2023.
The event served as a national multisectoral table for the grlobal “End-TB Campaign.”
The national government, through the DOH and other agencies, deserves the all-out support of the Filipino people as it tries to eliminate tuberculosis in the Philippines.
