Tuberculosis in the Philippines
Plaridel B. Quileza HCS 330 – Introduction to Health and Disease Trends
University of Phoenix
January 12, 2009
Mr. Peter Mabrey

Tuberculosis in the Philippines
Introduction
Many underdeveloped countries of the world, like the Philippines, experience incidence of tuberculosis at a rate that is only relative to the corresponding efforts of the government and its medical department. Although the Philippine government continues to march towards reducing TB incidence in the urban areas through easier access to care, another population lives in rural areas where healthcare is seldom spoken, if ever. The people who live there are poor and financially handicapped; they need the most help and soon. In support, country like the United States is actively making collaborative efforts and offers wide range of support to the TB identification, prevention, and treatment programs in the Philippines. Several agencies, including United States Agency for International Development (USAID), continue to have its strong presence in the TB prevention program in the Philippines.
Agent of disease TB is short for tuberculosis. TB disease is caused by a bacterium called Mycobacterium tuberculosis or tubercle bacillus. It is an ancient, worldwide disease, sometimes acute, more often chronic. The bacillus has been found in Egyptian mummies from 4000 B.C. In 1993, World Health Organization (WHO) declared TB its first ever “global emergency.” Twenty-two million people are infected with TB worldwide (Hamman, 2007). The bacteria usually attack the lungs, but TB bacteria can attack any part of the body such as the kidney, spine, and brain. If not treated properly, TB disease can be fatal (CDC, 2009).
Vulnerability to the disease Lack of modernized medical equipment, shortage of medical professionals in remote areas,