DINALUPIHAN, Bataan — United States Agency for International Development’s TB Platforms Project (USAID’s TB Platforms) conducted a three-day child-friendly community Tuberculosis (TB) screening in six barangays in Dinalupihan town.
In partnership with Department of Health and the municipal government, it was held in Bayan-bayanan, Tubo-tubo, Payangan, Roosevelt, Pita and Saguing.
“TB in children and adolescents varies both clinically and epidemiologically, making care and prevention challenging. In children, TB is often difficult to diagnose because of non-specific symptoms and limited sensitivity and specificity of laboratory tests for both latent tuberculosis infection and active tuberculosis disease,” USAID’s TB Platforms Project Chief of Party Marianne Calnan said.
“Children aged younger than 5 years are also more likely to progress to active TB disease after infection, and have the highest rates of severe, disseminated forms of TB such as meningitis, compared with older age groups. Adolescents aged 15–17 years old are more likely to develop infectious forms of pulmonary TB than younger children,” she added.
“Available data shows an estimated one million children under the age of 15 become sick with TB each year. Of those, 239,000 — nearly one in four — die. Children with TB rarely die when they receive effective treatment. However, 90 percent of children who die from TB worldwide went untreated,” Calnan furthered.
Aside from the TB screening, “Tibay ng Dibdib” learning materials were likewise distributed to about 49 daycare centers in Dinalupihan as part of the local campaign to #EndTB in children.
“Tibay ng Dibdib” is a storybook about the TB journey of two young sisters who survived Drug Resistant TB and Drug Susceptible TB last year.
It highlights the role of the family, community healthcare workers and government agencies in the patients’ treatment adherence and completion.