Dr. Michael Voniates, World Health Organization Medical Officer for Tuberculosis, yesterday said he is optimistic that there will be a significant reduction of cases of Tuberculosis in the Philippines by 2010.

Voniates was guest of honor at launching of the TB-DOTS Program and the blessing and formal opening of the Riverside Pulmonary Wellness Center at the Lopue's Extension building in Brgy. Mandalagan, Bacolod City yesterday.

Voniates said it is estimated that every year, the Philippines has approximately 200,000 cases of Tuberculosis with 115,000 of those infectious. Beyond that, at any time in the Philippines, there is prevalence of about 300,000 cases of TB, he said.

The problem is quite big, but the problem of health through the DOTS program and through the private-public mix DOTS has managed to reach global epidemiological targets which is deducting 70 percent of infectious cases and treating them effectively, Voniates said.

He said that in 2004 the Department of Health had reached a 73 percent case reduction and 75 percent in 2005. This means we exceeded the global target and that 88 percent of those infected have been cured, he added.

Voniates said that on the second part of this year they will have the national prevalence TB survey and hope to see a decline for the first time. He said that in the past, as shown by two previous prevalent surveys in 1982 and 1997, there had been no reduction in infection rate of TB in the Philippines despite the strategies they have implemented and good technical capacity.

Voniates said they hope to have a reduction and looks forward to expanding the private-public mix.

He said TB is curable if the patient has an effective regimen.

Voniates said the budget of DOH for the program including the local government contribution reaches 12 million dollars a year. He said the country also gets support from donor agencies particularly the Global Fund to Fight Aids of another six to seven million dollars a year so there is adequate funding of almost 100 percent.

Dr. Alvin Parreño, head of the RPWC, said the TB DOTS is a program of the RMC, World Health Organization and the Philippine Coalition Against Tuberculosis, and Department of Health.

He said they provide services to people suspected to have TB, especially those who have cough with phlegm for more than two weeks, have fever, loss of appetite, among others.

Parreño said these people will be diagnosed for free by means of sputum examination. If they are positive they can enroll in the program and avail of free anti-medication good for six months, he said. The sputum examination and check up is provided free every two months from March to December, he added.

RMC president Joaquin Torre said that through the TB-DOTS program, which had been presented to them by National TB Program coordinator Dr. Edith Gimotea, they hope to cut down the number of victims of TB - a major cause of death in the Philippines - by 50 percent.*CGS

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