Zamboanga City reaches alarming level in tuberculosisThe tuberculosis (TB) disease has reached alarming level in Zamboanga City with increasing number of cases, the Department of Health's Center For Health Development Office here said.
Over 1,000 people in the city have fallen prey to tuberculosis every year and out of the 98 barangays, seven of them are with high incidence of the disease, DOH Regional Director Aristides Tan said.
Tan identified Talon-Talon and Recodo as the two most among seven barangays with highest incidence of reported TB cases.
"The prevalence of the disease remains high in the said barangays. So it's alarming," he said without elaborating on the number of mortality or deaths.
But based on the World Health Organization (WHO) report shows that 75 Filipinos are dying everyday in the Philippines making the country No. 8 among the 22 countries with the highest TB burden.
Although the disease is curable, it's the sixth leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the country. In 2000, the tuberculosis killed 25,000 Filipinos, many of them in the prime of life. One TB patient infects 10-20 persons a year.
That is why, the launching of Social Mobilization on Tuberculosis (SMT) Project in the city was very important, according to Mayor Celso Lobregat.
"Tuberculosis has affected so much of the world's population and it needs a concerted effort from all sectors especially right here in Zamboanga City," the mayor added.
Health officials said they have began first with the two pilot sites (Talon-Talon and Recodo), then after six months to one year they'll expand to other villages.
"Our main purpose here is to create a support group in the community who can help people infected with this disease," Tan added.
Marlon Villanueva, project coordinator of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB, and Malaria (GFATM), said World Vision is covering 10 cities for a 5-year SMT project.
"The budget for this project is $4.6 million US dollars," Villanueva said.
He said the SMT projects are concentrated in the cities of Zamboanga, General Santos, Caloocan, Paranaque, San Pablo, Bacolod, Cebu, Iloilo and Davao that will end in 2011.
GFATM is one of the principal sources of financing for global TB control efforts. It is a grant-making organization based in Geneva, Switzerland created in January 2002 that aims to dramatically increase resources available to fight the disease in the world. (HG)
Over 1,000 people in the city have fallen prey to tuberculosis every year and out of the 98 barangays, seven of them are with high incidence of the disease, DOH Regional Director Aristides Tan said.
Tan identified Talon-Talon and Recodo as the two most among seven barangays with highest incidence of reported TB cases.
"The prevalence of the disease remains high in the said barangays. So it's alarming," he said without elaborating on the number of mortality or deaths.
But based on the World Health Organization (WHO) report shows that 75 Filipinos are dying everyday in the Philippines making the country No. 8 among the 22 countries with the highest TB burden.
Although the disease is curable, it's the sixth leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the country. In 2000, the tuberculosis killed 25,000 Filipinos, many of them in the prime of life. One TB patient infects 10-20 persons a year.
That is why, the launching of Social Mobilization on Tuberculosis (SMT) Project in the city was very important, according to Mayor Celso Lobregat.
"Tuberculosis has affected so much of the world's population and it needs a concerted effort from all sectors especially right here in Zamboanga City," the mayor added.
Health officials said they have began first with the two pilot sites (Talon-Talon and Recodo), then after six months to one year they'll expand to other villages.
"Our main purpose here is to create a support group in the community who can help people infected with this disease," Tan added.
Marlon Villanueva, project coordinator of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB, and Malaria (GFATM), said World Vision is covering 10 cities for a 5-year SMT project.
"The budget for this project is $4.6 million US dollars," Villanueva said.
He said the SMT projects are concentrated in the cities of Zamboanga, General Santos, Caloocan, Paranaque, San Pablo, Bacolod, Cebu, Iloilo and Davao that will end in 2011.
GFATM is one of the principal sources of financing for global TB control efforts. It is a grant-making organization based in Geneva, Switzerland created in January 2002 that aims to dramatically increase resources available to fight the disease in the world. (HG)
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