TB: deadly but curable

Bunyol added he did not have a difficult time during the course of his TB treatment because he continued to work and a good Samaritan helped him with the medical costs. (Pexels Photo)

MANILA – Bonifacio Bunyol took two simultaneous jobs in the 1980s to support his family.

He was a member of the pest control team of the New Airport Company. In 1983, Bunyol, then in high school, also took construction jobs.

“Hindi ko na po matandaan kung ilang taon pero nung 1980s nasa pest control ako ng New Airport Company, then construction din nung 1983 nung high school ako, sabay na trabaho iyon (I don’t remember how many years already but in the 1980s, I was in the pest control of the New Airport Company, then construction also in 1983 when I was high school. These jobs were simultaneous),” he told the Philippine News Agency (PNA).

He continued to work in construction as he aged to support his family of five. His wife stays at home to take care of their children.

Little did he know that his job would later result in a serious illness.

It started with constant fever, coughing and shortness of breath – all manifestations of tuberculosis (TB). Bunyol recalled that some of his co-workers had the same symptoms.

When he was 49, he was diagnosed with the deadly but curable disease.

“Isang linggo hindi nawawala ang ubo kahit umiinom ako ng gamot, kaya nagpa-check-up ako at nagpa-X-ray. Tapos lumabas na may TB ako pero hindi pa naman ganoon kalala (I had cough for a week even if I took medicines. I had a check-up and an X-ray. Then it turned out I had TB but still in the early stages),” said Bunyol, now 52.

Upon learning that he had TB, Bunyol said he made sure that he got the proper check-up and medicine.

“Para sa akin hindi naman mahirap magkaroon ng TB basta continuous ang gamot saka pagkain nang maayos. Nine months na check-up at gamutan ako, every three months ang X-ray (For me, it is not difficult to have TB so long as you take medicines continuously and eat right. I had nine months of check-up and treatment, X-ray every three months),” he said.

Bunyol added he did not have a difficult time during the course of his TB treatment because he continued to work and a good Samaritan helped him with the medical costs.

His continuous treatment paid off.

He has been TB-free for almost two years and he simply takes iron vitamin daily, as his physician advised.

Bunyol is only one of about one million Filipinos who suffer from the disease, caused by the Mycobacterium tuberculosis, which attacks the lungs, Department of Health (DOH) Secretary Francisco Duque III said.

In an earlier interview, Duque said the number of TB patients nationwide is about 1 percent of the population and there are those who are dying on a daily basis.

“Sixty patients with TB die daily, especially those who are not treated. And there are about 260,000 to 270,000 missing TB cases. Ang challenge ay paano natin hahanapin ang mga ito (The challenge is how to find them),” he said.

Duque added that TB is rampant in the “Big Three”, referring to the National Capital Region, Central Luzon and Calabarzon.

“Ito ang mga lugar na may congestion kasi kulob ang lugar at dikit-dikit ang mga tao. Madali magkahawaan (These places are congested. They are cramped and people stay close together. Disease is easily transmitted),” he said.

The World Health Organization Global Tuberculosis Report 2017 said the Philippines faces one of the highest burdens of TB in the world.

“When prevalence is extrapolated to all ages and all forms of TB, it is estimated that there are about 1 million people in the Philippines with TB disease, which is equivalent to 1 in 15 of all prevalent cases globally,” the report said.

The DOH said it has intensified its anti-TB drive to combat the prevalence of the disease.

Last month, it launched the TB Family Development Sessions module to provide parents and guardians in every community the skills to detect family members and neighbors who are stricken with TB.

The module emphasizes that TB is contagious and Mycobacterium tuberculosis can be easily transferred through coughing, sneezing, laughing or talking loudly.

The symptoms of TB include high fever at night, more than two weeks of coughing, loss of appetite, and weight loss.

By knowing the symptoms early and getting the right treatment and personal care, TB can be cured.

“Matutulungan ang mga may TB sa pagamutan na libre naman. In fact ang PhilHealth ay may programa. Yan ay ang TB DOTS (Direct Observed Treatment Short-Course) na binabayaran ng PHP10,000 ng TB DOTS family package ng PhilHealth (Those who have TB can get help from hospitals for free. In fact, PhilHealth has a program — TB DOTS, which pays PHP10,000 from the TB DOTS family package of PhilHealth),” Duque said.

He said people with TB must complete their treatment because the Mycobacterium tuberculosis could return in drug-resistant form.

“Hindi mo matutukoy agad ang tinatawag na multi-drug resistant TB. Malalaman mo lang through careful history note-taking kung ito ba ay nagamot pero hindi nakumpleto ang gamutan, kaya dapat kumpletuhin nila ang gamutan (The multi-drug resistant TB can’t be identified immediately. It could only be known through careful note-taking if it has been treated. But if the treatment is not completed, it could recur. That’s why patients need to complete the treatment),” he added.

Apart from the module, the DOH launched TB projects in partnership with the Department of Social Welfare and Development and United States Agency for International Development to increase public awareness about the symptoms and cure of the disease.

The Philippines has provided patients with life-saving treatment, introduced new anti-TB medicines and shortened treatment regimens, boosting the number of patients cured of the disease.