Drug-resistant TB spikes in Iloilo City, free treatment offered

By Rjay Zuriaga Castor

ILOILO CITY – Drug-resistant tuberculosis (TB) and TB infections among children remain concerns in Iloilo City, prompting health authorities to push for wider screening, early treatment, and strict medication adherence.

Estrella Fortuna, TB program coordinator of the City Health Office (CHO), said on Aug. 6 that the city recorded 42 drug-resistant TB (DR-TB) cases in 2025 and 23 cases so far in 2026.

Drug-resistant TB occurs when the bacteria that cause TB become resistant to at least one anti-TB medicine.

Fortuna said the number of DR-TB cases was not yet alarming compared with drug-susceptible TB (DS-TB) cases, but the condition remained a concern because commonly used medicines may no longer work against the bacteria.

She said DR-TB can result in fewer treatment options, longer and more complicated treatment, a higher risk of treatment failure and complications, and greater financial and health system burdens.

“We encourage the public, especially families with TB cases, to know that the CHO is here to help. The medicines are free, and all we need is the cooperation of the patients,” Fortuna said.

She warned that failure to properly complete treatment can contribute to drug resistance.

“If the first-line drugs do not work, it can develop into drug-resistant TB. We can no longer use the first-line drugs, so we need to shift to second-line drugs, which have higher dosages,” she added.

Some DR-TB cases detected in the city involved patients who had previously undergone treatment but failed to complete their prescribed regimen, Fortuna said.

“They stopped treatment and then relapsed. They developed symptoms again, and when their sputum was collected, it was found to be drug-resistant,” she said.

Patients with DR-TB are placed on a different treatment regimen from those with DS-TB, although treatment may still take around six months, depending on the patient’s condition and prescribed regimen.

The CHO has also recorded TB cases among children, with Fortuna noting that many of these infections were linked to exposure to TB patients within their households.

The CHO did not provide data on the number of TB cases among children.

Household exposure remains an important concern because TB is contagious and can spread to close contacts, Fortuna said.

“There is a possibility that the cases will increase because TB is contagious to household contacts and the wider community,” she said.

To prevent household contacts from developing active TB, Fortuna encouraged households with a family member who has active TB to undergo tuberculosis preventive treatment (TPT).

TPT involves giving preventive anti-TB medicines to people who have been exposed to TB and may have a latent TB infection, helping prevent it from progressing into active and potentially contagious disease.

Household and close contacts of people with active TB are among those who may qualify for TPT.

Other vulnerable groups that may qualify include people living with HIV, children younger than 5, and immunocompromised individuals.

Fortuna said TPT is provided free of charge to eligible household contacts.

Most TB cases in the city involve adults, particularly those ages 25 to 45, she said.

The CHO reported 1,520 notified TB cases against a projected target of 2,972 for 2026 as of its latest semiannual report.

Notified TB cases refer to people diagnosed with active TB who are officially reported to public health authorities.

The 1,520 cases represent about 51% of the city’s annual target, which Fortuna said puts the CHO on track to exceed its goal of 90% case notification by the end of the year.

“We are confident because our screening and advocacy in the TB programs are continuous, and so far we see in the numbers that we have already reached half of the target,” Fortuna said.

In 2025, the city recorded 2,840 notified TB cases against a projected target of 3,004, equivalent to about 95% of the target.

The 2025 figure exceeded the city’s 90% target for TB case notification.

For 2026, Fortuna said the city is also targeting a treatment success rate of at least 90%.

She said the city’s high case-notification rate reflects the continuing efforts of the CHO and its partner facilities to identify people with TB and link them to treatment.

The city currently has 15 facilities participating in its TB program, including nine district health centers, four hospitals, and two private health facilities.

The local figures come against a national backdrop of persistently high TB transmission. The World Health Organization’s Global Tuberculosis Report 2025 ranked the Philippines third worldwide in TB burden, with an incidence rate of 500 new cases per 100,000 population in 2024 — well above the global rate of 131 per 100,000. The country also carries an outsized share of the global drug-resistant caseload, accounting for 7.1% of people with drug-resistant TB in 2024, alongside India at 32%, China at 7.1%, and the Russian Federation at 6.7%.

The Department of Health has moved to shorten DR-TB treatment nationally. Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa said in November 2025 that the agency was already using an all-oral regimen that cuts drug-resistant TB treatment from two years to six months, with a higher treatment success rate.