Guimaras is being groomed to become the first tuberculosis-free island in the Philippines, according to a health group.

In a media conference on Thursday afternoon, Philippine Tuberculosis Society Inc (PTSI) executive director Dr. Pauline Jean Rosell-Ubial said they are working on an initiative to test at least half of Guimaras’ population every two years with the hope of declaring the town TB-free in four to five years.

“If we prove that, we will bring the strategy to other parts of the country,” she said, adding for this endeavor, they are working with the Department of Health (DOH) and the local government unit.

Ubial, a former health secretary, also said the initiative used to be a project of the United States Agency for International Development, but it was stopped this year due to a lack of funding.

“Guimaras will be the first TB-free island in the Philippines. Next is Siquijor and maybe Biliran,” she said, adding they intend to screen all small islands in the country.

Meanwhile, Ubial encouraged people to get screened through the X-ray method, saying all adult Filipinos should be X-rayed at least once every two years.

If tested positive for TB, the patient should undergo treatment and can avail of free medicines from government health centers.

All the patient’s household members should also be tested. Even if they turned out negative, they need to undergo TB preventive treatment (TPT), which is also free.

“There is a need for preventive treatment otherwise we cannot eliminate tuberculosis in this country,” Ubial said.

She stressed that to eliminate TB, it is not enough to treat latent and active TB cases.

Other strategies against TB, Ubial said, would be to mitigate risk factors and prevent infection. (PNA)