By Leilanie G. Adriano
Staff Reporter
The Ilocos Norte Provincial Health Office (PHO) is gunning for
Tuberculosis-free province.
In view of its continuing
campaign to educate local communities about this highly communicable disease,
Lerissa Foronda, health education and promotion officer said a fun run was conducted on
March 24 to drumbeat awareness about this airborne disease and how to prevent
its spread by coughs and sneezing.
“Tuberculosis (TB) is not
hereditary but it is a highly communicable infectious disease affecting all
ages,” said Foronda as she reported about a series of information drives to
identify patients suspected of carrying this disease.
Tuberculosis is an airborne
infectious disease. The majority of TB deaths occur in developing countries.
The disease is closely linked to substandard housing and poor nutrition.
The Philippines is ninth in
the world on tuberculosis with approximately 390,000 Filipinos having the
disease and 75 people dying from it daily.
According to Foronda, most of
the cases in the province are found in urban areas such as in Laoag City and
Batac City.
“Apparently, this is because
of the close proximity and thick population in the area,” she said.
She also urged local
residents here to have their free check-up and to avail free medication in
their nearest rural health units and hospitals for six straight months as TB is
a curable disease.
In support of the Department
of Health campaign and for the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals
to reduce TB prevalence and mortality by half by 2015, the PHO aims to zero in
cases of TB the soonest possible time by ensuring the success rate of treatment
of patients by 90 percent and strengthening efforts of case detection.
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