U.S. Embassy Photo Release

March 23, 2007

 

 

World Tuberculosis Day is March 24:  Let’s Work Together to Stop TB

 

 

World Tuberculosis (TB) Day is Saturday, March 24.  This year’s theme of “TB anywhere is TB everywhere” is a clear reminder that we are talking about a disease that is easily transmitted.  TB knows no borders.   

 

TB is not just a public health challenge, it is also a development problem as this devastating disease strikes people during their most economically productive years.  The magnitude of the problem is staggering.   According to the World Health Organization (WHO), each year nearly nine million people will develop TB and nearly two million people will die from it.  Although a cure for TB has existed for more than half a century, the disease is often diagnosed late and treated improperly or not treated at all, leading to transmission in the community and death.  Unfortunately, the most vulnerable people have the greatest difficulties in accessing good quality care.  TB is both a disease of poverty and a contributor to poverty, and it takes a tremendous toll especially on poor families in developing countries. 

TB is a major health problem in the Philippines.  The country has the ninth highest burden of TB incidence in the world, and the disease is the sixth leading cause of death nationwide.  This translates to about 80 Filipinos dying from TB every single day.  Two-thirds of the more than 85 million Filipinos in the country harbor the TB bacilli; about 463,000 are active TB cases.    

Faced with these problems, the Philippines Government has been proactive and highlighted TB control as a top priority.  In 1997, it adopted the internationally recognized TB control strategy of Directly Observed Therapy, Short-course, commonly referred to as DOTS.  The Department of Health (DOH) developed a National TB Control Program, its budget correspondingly increasing with the rapid expansion of DOTS.  By 2003, the country reported 100 percent DOTS coverage in 1,500 public health clinics nationwide.  Similarly, case detection rate, i.e., the proportion of new positive TB cases, had reached 73 percent in 2005, above the global target of 70 percent.  The treatment success rate of 88 percent also exceeded the global target of 85 percent.  We congratulate the Philippines for this great achievement. 

We also congratulate the various donors and other private partners for supporting the successful and rapid expansion of the DOTS strategy in the Philippines.

The United States is on the frontlines of the battle against TB worldwide.  Through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the American people contribute nearly $90 million each year for TB programs in Africa, Asia, Europe, Eurasia, and Latin America, and an additional $5 million per year to the Global TB Drug Facility.  The United States is also the largest single-country donor to the Global Fund, contributing nearly $1.9 billion since 2002.  In all cases, we work closely with our international and in-country partners.

 

USAID supports DOTS expansion, the provision of lab supplies and equipment, training all cadres of health workers, technical assistance, and engaging communities and the private sector in TB care worldwide.  Pictured above, a mother brings her children to a TB clinic offering DOTS therapy in Tondo, Metro Manila that is supported by development assistance from the American people. 

Because high numbers of patients with TB symptoms are seeking care in the private sector, the National TB Program has involved the participation of the sector to ensure a consistent approach to use DOTS for TB control. Considerable progress has been achieved by the government, the Philippine Coalition Against TB, and private sector institutions partnering with public sector providers through support from USAID, the Global Fund, and others.  However, continued assistance is needed to improve, scale-up, and expand TB control activities and harmonize efforts from various agencies.   

Currently, the American people are supporting TB control in the Philippines through the project Linking Initiatives and Networking to Control Tuberculosis (TB-LINC), which is being implemented by the Philippine Business for Social Progress in partnership with the DOH, local governments, and the private sector.  USAID provides an average of $3.4 million per year to support TB activities and interventions in the public and private sectors in the Philippines, including:

• Improving both the national and local policy, financing, and regulatory environment to make DOTS sustainable.
• Strengthening the capacity of health centers, clinics and hospitals to diagnose and treat TB cases, including upgrading the skills of service providers.
• Increasing the use of DOTS facilities through improved knowledge, attitudes, practices and behavior of more support groups (e.g., business, church, media, schools, etc.) and communities at large.

The recent outbreak of extensive drug resistant (XDR) TB has made headlines all over the world.  The United States is actively engaged in the response to XDR, and is a global leader in addressing MDR TB.  While XDR must be urgently and effectively dealt with, this also sounds the alarm to remind us that we must continue to focus on improving the quality of TB services based on the WHO recommended DOTS strategy.

 

We know what needs to be done.  The Global Plan to STOP TB 2006 – 2015 provides us the road map and key interventions.  The American people remain fully committed to working with all of our partners to renew the charge against TB. 

 

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