More than 15,000 Antipolenyos were served by the Antipolo City local government through its free chest x-ray program as part of its efforts to ensure the health and wellness of its residents especially against tuberculosis (TB).
According to Antipolo City Mayor Jun Ynares, over 2,000 of the 15,000 beneficiaries of the program were helped by the local government unit (LGU) in their recovery from TB.
In its latest X-ray program, more than 200 residents of Antipolo Hills Subdivision in Barangay San Luis availed the city government's free X-ray services, where 18 of them were tagged as presumptive TB patients.
"Gaya ng dati, layunin nating protektahan ang mga high-risk individuals (mga senior citizens, may diabetes, PWDs, smokers, drivers, mga taong may HIV) mula sa banta ng TB at ibang sakit, lalo na't hindi lahat ng may tuberculosis ay nagpapakita ng sintomas (Our goal is to protect high-risk individuals from TB and other ailments because not all TB patients show symptoms)," Ynares said.
He then expressed his gratitude to the Department of Health (DOH), the Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP), the City Health Office (CHO), and all barangay health workers for the successful implementation of the event.
On Tuesday, October 15, the free X-ray services will be brought to the residents of Sitio Mahayhay in Barangay Muntindilaw.
Tuberculosis is an infectious disease usually caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) bacteria which generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, in which case it is known as latent tuberculosis.
According to research, around 10 percent of latent infections progress to active disease which, if left untreated, may kill about half of those affected.
Typical symptoms of active TB are chronic cough with blood-containing mucus, fever, night sweats, and weight loss. Infection of other organs can also cause a wide range of symptoms.
The disease is spread from one person to the next through the air when people who have active TB in their lungs cough, spit, speak, or sneeze. People with latent TB do not spread the disease.
Diagnosis of active TB is based on chest X-rays, as well as microscopic examination and culture of body fluids. Diagnosis of Latent TB relies on the tuberculin skin test (TST) or blood tests.
Prevention of TB involves screening those at high risk, early detection and treatment of cases, and vaccination with the bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine. Those at high risk include household, workplace, and social contacts of people with active TB.
Treatment requires the use of multiple antibiotics over a long period of time. Antibiotic resistance is a growing problem, with increasing rates of multiple drug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB).