MANILA, July 4 (Xinhua) -- The Philippines will intensify its efforts to fight against tuberculosis in targeted areas as the Southeast Asian country grapples with a resurgence of the highly infectious airborne disease, Philippine Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa said on Tuesday.
"The Philippines continues to be one of the top countries with the high burden of tuberculosis," Herbosa told a news conference, adding about a million Filipinos have active tuberculosis disease, and the cases have spiked during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Department of Health will conduct active tuberculosis finding in poor communities, workplaces, crowded jails, residential homes, care facilities, and even health facilities, and will also intensify advocacy campaigns to raise public awareness and intervention, Herbosa said.
According to a 2022 report by the World Health Organization (WHO), about 10.6 million are infected with tuberculosis globally, with India, Indonesia, and the Philippines as the major contributors to the increase.
The WHO said around 1.4 million died of tuberculosis in 2021 alone. The Philippines is one of the countries that contribute to the most estimated increase in tuberculosis deaths, along with India, Indonesia, and Myanmar. ■
