Many TB patients left untreated

The Department of Health (DoH) said it will intensify its active case finding to find tuberculosis (TB) patients and ensure their complete treatment.

According to the 2024 World Health Organization Global Tuberculosis Report, the Philippines is the fourth country with the highest number of TB cases, accounting for 6.8 percent of the total new TB cases worldwide yearly.

 From this report, it is estimated that 739,000 Filipinos contracted TB in 2023, however, only 575,770 were reported to the DoH’s Integrated TB Information System.

The Health Department said this means that many TB patients are not yet registered, and therefore, not yet treated.

In addition, 100,237 patients have been identified who have not returned to treatment.

The DoH stressed that patients with drug-resistant TB are more difficult to treat as they require stronger and longer-term treatment.

The DoH aims to reduce the number of new TB cases per year from 643 to 300 per 100,000 people by 2030.

“The Philippines ranks fourth in the world in terms of new TB cases per year. We need to be removed from this list,” DoH Secretary Ted Herbosa said.

“TB is contagious within families. President Marcos Jr. ordered that we find all TB patients so that we can save them because this disease is treatable,” Herbosa added.

As part of its effort to curb TB, the DoH conducted simultaneous X-ray and health screenings in various parts of the country in commemoration of World TB Day.

An estimated 5,599 individuals underwent X-rays in just seven to eight hours.