Transcript DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH DOTS Program for TB

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH
DOTS Program for TB
(Tuberculosis Directly Observed
Short-course)
TUBERCULOSIS
• The Philippines is among the 22 highburdened countries in the world
according the WHO.
• TB is sthe 6th leading cause of illness
and the 6th leading cause of deaths
among the Filipinos.
• Most TB pateints belong to the
economically productive age-group
(15-54 years old) according to the 2nd
National Prevalence Survey in 1997.
TUBERCULOSIS
• Seventy-five (75) Filipinos die of TB
every day, most of them in the prime
of their life.
• If untreated, a person with
tuberculosis can transmit the TB
bacteria to as many as 10 to 15
people during the course of one
year, who, in turn, may develop the
disease.
What is TB?
• Tuberculosis is an infectious disease
caused by TB bacteria
(Mycobacterium tuberculosis) that
primarily affects the lungs.
• This condition is known as pulmonary
tuberculosis (PTB).
• One may also have tuberculosis in the
bones, meninges, joints, genito-urinary
tract, liver, kidneys, intestines and
heart and this is called extrapulmonary tuberculosis.
How is TB treated?
• Tuberculosis is a curable disease.
• Patients are prescribed with appropriate
regimen to render them non-infectious and
cured, as early as possible.
• The treatment for TB is a combination of
3-4 anti-TB drugs.
• NEVER should we prescribe a SINGLE
DRUG for TB treatment! This will worsen
the patient's condition.
What is DOTS?
• D.O.T.S stands for Directly-Observed
Treatment Short0course.
• It is a comprehensive strategy
endorsed by the World Health
Organization (WHO) and International
Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung
Diseases (IUATLD) to detect and cure
TB patients.
5 Components of TB-DOTS
Program
• Political or Management commitment
• TB diagnosis through sputum microscopy (x-ray
is only a secondary diagnostic tool)
• Availability of complete and quality anti-TB
medications
• Supervised treatment (a responsible person
making sure that the patient takes the anti-TB
medication everyday)
• Recording and reporting of cases and outcomes
WHO Report on the TB
Epidemic, 1997:
• DOTS cure TB patients and it can produce
cure rates as high as 95% even in the
poorest countries.
• DOTS prevent new infections among
children and adults
• DOTS can stop resistance to anti-TB
drugs.
• DOTS is cost-effective.
DOTS is THE MOST
EFFECTIVE STRATEGY
available for controlling
the worldwide TB
epidemic today.