PH seeks improved TB detection in jails

IMPROVED detection of tuberculosis (TB) among detainees and inmates in Philippine jails and other detention facilities is a critical priority, particularly in view of the sharp increase in the inmate population due to President Rodrigo Duterte’s anti-drug campaign, health representatives from key government agencies learned in a three-day workshop organized by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) last week.

More than 60 senior TB coordinators and managers from the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP), the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor), and the Department of Health (DOH) joined the workshop on “TB case-finding mechanisms in the penitentiary system” to see how best practices—such as entry screening, cough surveillance, and mass screening—could be systematically replicated across the country and eventually reduce number of people affected by the contagious disease.