MANILA: The Philippines has been intensifying its fight against tuberculosis (TB) with an ambitious goal to screen 12 million Filipinos nationwide by 2026, the country's Department of Health (DOH) said on Thursday (Nov 13).
To expand and accelerate TB services, the agency said on social media that it has proposed a 4.2-billion-peso (about US$71 million) budget for 2026, nearly double the 2.6 billion pesos (US$44 million) earmarked in 2025.
"In the Philippines, we are already using ultra-portable, AI-powered chest X-rays and WHO-recommended Nucleic Acid Amplification Tests to quickly screen and diagnose TB cases," Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa was cited by the DOH as saying.
An innovative all-oral regimen for drug-resistant TB cuts treatment time from two years to only six months, Herbosa added.
Globally, an estimated 10.7 million TB cases were recorded in 2024, with 6.8 per cent in the Philippines, according to the World Health Organisation. Around 100 Filipinos die of tuberculosis daily. - Xinhua
