The Department of Education will adopt the Comprehensive and Unified Policy on Tuberculosis Control in the Philippines, a program started by the Department of Health, in their aim to prevent Tuberculosis in the school populace.
DepEd, through its Health and Nutrition Center, hopes to strengthen its own TB Prevention and Control program, wherein under the partnership, the DOH will assist the DepEd’s own anti-TB program while the DepEd itself will be responsible for the integration of TB prevention messages in schools, it said.
The DepEd’s Regional Directors and School Division superintendents will supervise the implementation of the program, it said.
Its components include dissemination and education on health information, health service delivery, regular monitoring of the program’s implementation and accomplishments, collaboration with Parent-Teacher Community Associations, and solicitation of administrative support for funding and other needs, it said.
Local government units (LGUs), NGOs, and PTCAs will also be involved in creating TB awareness, according to the statement.
Education Secretary Jesli Lapus said the local government units, non-government organizations, and parents-teachers associations will also be involved in the execution of the program.
“The support of the whole community is vital in this campaign. Ensuring their well-being is essential in boosting the academic performance of our educators and pupils in our schools,” Lapus said.
The incidence of tuberculosis cases in Cebu City is increasing based on the number of clients recorded by the 81 barangay health centers in the city.
Cebu City Health Department TB program coordinator Susan Adlawan said the different health centers have recorded almost three thousand TB cases from January to June this year compared to the 4,124 total TB cases in 2006.
Tuberculosis is an infectious disease caused by bacteria and commonly affects the lungs but can also involve other organs of the body. Non-stop coughing especially with sputum for more than two weeks is a common symptom while other symptoms include fatigue, weight loss, night sweats and fever.
Adlawan said the patients who have had cough for more than two weeks already should visit health centers so they can undergo sputum test at no cost and will be given free medicines courtesy of the DOH— Jasmin R. Uy/BRP