DoH warns of high TB risk for people with HIV

The Department of Health (DoH) on Sunday disclosed that one in five deaths among people living with human immunodeficiency virus (PLHIV) is caused by tuberculosis, as it warned that PLHIV have a higher risk of contracting TB due to their weakened immune systems.

In a statement, the DoH said that if it is left untreated, the co-infection can lead to serious complications and death.

To prevent HIV and TB co-infection, the DoH recommended regular TB screening, continuous antiretroviral therapy (ART) and tuberculosis preventive treatment (TPT). Both ART and TPT are available at HIV care facilities across the country.

The advisory was issued in observance of National Lung Month in August and National Tuberculosis Day last 19 August.

During World Tuberculosis Day in March, DoH Secretary Teodoro Herbosa raised concerns about the country’s consistently high number of TB cases.

“In the Philippines, we reported 546,452 TB cases in 2024,” Herbosa said in a video message. “While that’s lower than the previous year, we are still far from our goal of a TB-free Philippines.”

According to the World Health Organization’s Global Tuberculosis Report 2024, the Philippines is among the top five countries with 56 percent of the world’s total TB cases.

TB symptoms include a cough that lasts three weeks or longer.

As of June, there were 148,831 HIV cases in the Philippines. The DoH previously stated that the number of young Filipinos infected with HIV has increased by 500 percent.