House Deputy Majority Leader Janette Garin warned the public to take extra precautions after the doctors’ group diagnosed 1,280 residents with tuberculosis (TB) in Tondo, Manila.
Garin made the statement after the Médicins Sans Frontières (MSF) revealed that a huge number of residents in Tondo were infected with TB.
“This is alarming. The government must take action against the increasing number of tuberculosis in the country,” the former health secretary pointed out.
The Iloilo First District Representative also cited that such was also seen in Iloilo during the Bantay Kalusugan, a medical mission initiated by Garin.
Amid the increasing number of TB cases, the lady solon expressed concern as the medicines for TB are always out of stock in public medical facilities which leads to inaccessible healthcare.
“It is worrying that there is a lack of medicine for this type of disease. Proper distribution and an organized drug delivery system are needed to ensure that Filipinos get enough medicine,” Garin stressed, adding that such diseases is preventable and curable.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), approximately 10.8 million individuals worldwide contracted TB in 2023.
TB is an infectious disease caused by bacteria that most often affects the lungs. It spreads through the air when people with TB cough, sneeze or spit, WHO said.
Based on the data of the US Agency for International Development, the estimated TB incidence in the Philippines in 2021 was 741,000. An estimated 61,000 people died from the said disease.