The number of tuberculosis cases in the Philippines and three other countries in Western Pacific has declined in the last 21 years, boosting the region’s efforts to meet the target to halve TB epidemic by 2015.

The World Health Organization (WHO) noted in its Global Tuberculosis Report 2012 that the number of TB cases in the Philippines, China, Cambodia and Vietnam had been going down from 1990 to 2011.These four countries accounted for 93 percent of TB cases in the Western Pacific region, and are also among the 22 “high-burden” countries for TB epidemic, which accounted for more than 80 percent of global cases. In the Philippines, TB deaths went down by 49 percent while the number of Filipinos with TB decreased by 52 percent.

WHO regional director for Western Pacific Shin Young-soo added that the governments’ “diligence, dedication and proficiency have saved millions of lives. However, much is needed to be done to strengthen the countries’ health systems to prevent the development and spread of TB, especially multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB).”

Source: http://www.philstar.com/headlines/2013/04/28/935740/tb-cases-phl-declining-who