BAGUIO CITY – A medical officer of the Baguio General Hospital and Medical Center (BGHMC) and the designated tuberculosis coordinator disclosed that TB cases in the country are on the alarming stage because of the presence of undocumented patients that remain undiagnosed.
BGHMC Medical Officer and TB Coordinator Dr. Beverly Anne V. Dominguez disclosed that based on the data obtained from the World Health Organization (WHO), there are over 2 million Filipinos as of 2018 who are sick with TB that are not yet diagnosed and are considered to be missing.
Aside from the reported undiagnosed individuals with TB, she revealed that the success rate of TB cases in the country is only 30 percent while in the city, the success rate of TB patients is only 7 percent.
The medical officer pointed out that for this year alone, there are 87 new TB patients that are undergoing the 6-month treatment while there are 12 new TB patients who are considered to be multi-drug resistant.
From the 220 TB patients in 2018, the same decreased to 165 patients last year where 124 patients were declared as cured, 8 were able to complete their treatment while 3 others allegedly died.
Dominguez underscored that tuberculosis is curable provided the patients will strictly undergo the daily treatment and the taking in of the prescribed drugs for them to be able to fully recover from the said illness.
According to her, the TB patients are classified to be regular and multi-drug resistant who need to undergo the treatment that will have a minimum of 6 months up to a maximum of 2 years.
She stated that concerned health authorities are also tapping the private physicians in the city for them to report TB patients undergoing treatment in their clinics to help in gathering the actual data on the real number of TB patients who have to be provided with the appropriate treatment for them to be able to fully recover from their illness.
The BGHMC Doctor said the medicines prescribed for the TB patients are free that is why individuals with tuberculosis should visit the medical facility for them to undergo the required treatment to be able to fully recover from such illness to prevent their health condition from being compromised.
Dominguez advised the public to immediately consult health experts once they have cough that is not cured beyond two weeks for them to be provided with the appropriate treatment and medication.
Dominguez emphasized that tuberculosis on the lungs is the most common among the parts of the body that could be affected by TB as the ears, nose, mouth among others could also be affected by the illness, thus, people must continue to practice good hygiene techniques to be able to prevent them from contracting the life-threatening illness.
By Dexter A. See
