By Progilyn Porio, Marvin Dominguez and Edel Laña/UM Interns
DAVAO Region registered almost 4,000 tuberculosis cases from January to March this year, according to the data from the Department of Health XI.
During the Kapehan sa Dabaw on May 20, Dr. Hansel Amoguis, DOH XI Infectious Disease Cluster head, said the records were 37.5% higher than the 2023 cases.
Amoguis said they recorded 1,500 new cases in the first quarter of 2024, and workers aged 15 to 39 were considered the high-risk group.
The DOH XI continues its program of going to the different barangays to test people with TB symptoms. The government targets zero mortality for the disease by 2028 or contains the incidence rate to one positive person for every one million population.
Ma. Eloisa Zapada-Teng, the president and founder of TB People Philippines Organization Inc. said patients continue to experience discrimination, especially inside the workplace.
The organization will also double its efforts to remove the stigma for TB-positive workers.
Zepalda also expressed her gratitude to doctors and pharma firms for bringing down the treatment from the previous 24 months to only six months.
