WORLD TB DAY COMMEMORATION (March 24, 2011)

AFP MEDICAL CENTER
V. Luna Road, Quezon City
Philippines

WORLD TB DAY COMMEMORATION
March 24, 2011

THEME: “Isulong ang laban sa TB.. Malusog na Kabataan, Pagasa ng Bayan…

The bacillus causing tuberculosis, Mycobacterium tuberculosis (TB), was identified and described byDr. Robert Koch in March 24, 1882. Hence it is also called Koch’s Disease. The day of Koch’s discovery is now observed as World Tuberculosis Day.

TB is contagious and is considered an airborne disease. That means that people get the TB bacillus when they inhale minute particles of infected sputum from the air. When people who have the active pulmonary disease sneeze, cough, speak or spit, they propel TB bacilli into the air. A person needs only to inhale a small number of these to be infected.

Our country is among the 22 high burden countries for tuberculosis. TB is the 6th leading cause of illness and the 6th leading cause of deaths among Filipinos. Most TB patients belong to the economically productive age-group.

Dr. Woooo-Jin Lew (STB Medical Officer, WHO), in his message for the celebration of the World TB Day at the AFP Medical Center states that the treatment of TB should imediately start as soon as the diagnosis has been made to ensure better prognosis and also to prevent possible complication that may arise from the disease process.

In order to effectively battle TB,the Philippine Coalition Against Tuberculosis (Phil-Coa) and the Department of Health (DOH) headed by the Secretaryof Health, Dr. Enrique T. Ona, M.D., and other government and non-government agencies works hand-in-hand in promoting awareness, education, and other programs in order to propagate internationally-accepted standards that will help us Filipinos prevent, avert, treat and to eventually eradicate this disease here in our country that has claimed lives of numerous Filipinos especially the young in order for them to become a more productive, progressive and healthy citizens of our country.

Hence the slogan “Isulong ang laban sa TB.. Malusog na Kabataan, Pagasa ng Bayan” will help remind everyone the importance of the fight against TB is important for us to become a healthy and TB-free Philippines especially of the generations to come.