BAGUIO CITY — A persistent cough may look like an ordinary health problem, but the Department of Health-Cordillera Administrative Region (DOH-CAR) is reminding Filipinos that it can also be an early warning sign of tuberculosis (TB), a preventable and curable disease that continues to pose a major public-health threat.
The warning came as the country observes National Lung Month this August, with health authorities urging residents to protect their lungs, recognize TB symptoms early and seek medical care instead of waiting for the illness to become severe.
During a Kapihan sa Baguio forum, DOH-CAR Nurse V Geeny Anne Austria explained that TB is caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Although the disease most commonly affects the lungs, it can also spread to other parts of the body, including the brain, bones and abdomen.
The symptoms people should not ignore
According to DOH-CAR, warning signs include a cough lasting more than two weeks, unexplained fever, weight loss, loss of appetite, night sweats and persistent fatigue.
Austria also stressed that people should not wait until they cough up blood before seeking medical attention. Coughing up blood is not present in every TB case, meaning the absence of that symptom does not automatically rule out the disease.
TB is transmitted through the air when an infected person coughs, sneezes or spits. The risk of transmission can increase in crowded places and areas with poor ventilation.
That makes early detection especially important—not only for the person who may have TB, but also for people living or spending significant time around them.
The Philippines remains one of the world’s TB hotspots
The warning from DOH-CAR comes against a much larger national problem.
The World Health Organization’s Global Tuberculosis Report 2025 estimated that 10.7 million people developed TB worldwide in 2024. The Philippines accounted for approximately 6.8% of global TB cases, placing the country among the world’s highest-burden nations.
WHO and the Philippine Department of Health reported in November 2025 that an estimated 625 Filipinos per 100,000 population developed TB in 2024. TB also remained one of the country’s leading causes of death, with an estimated 98 Filipinos dying from the disease each day, although the estimated number of deaths represented a 3% decline from the previous year.
Globally, TB caused an estimated 1.23 million deaths in 2024, according to WHO. While the global number of new TB cases declined slightly from 2023 to 2024, WHO warned that progress remains fragile.
Who should be especially alert?
DOH-CAR said people who have been exposed to TB patients may benefit from tuberculosis preventive treatment.
Health authorities also identified groups that may face greater risk, including senior citizens, people living with HIV, people with diabetes, smokers and individuals with weakened immune systems.
Preventive treatment is particularly important because TB infection does not always immediately produce active disease. Some people can carry TB infection without obvious symptoms and later develop active TB, especially when their immune defenses are weakened.
Treatment works—but finishing it matters
One of the most important messages from health authorities is that TB is curable, but treatment must be taken correctly and completed.
DOH-CAR said treatment generally lasts around six months and must be followed consistently. Interrupting treatment can contribute to drug-resistant TB, which is more difficult and expensive to treat.
WHO likewise describes TB as both preventable and curable, while warning that multidrug-resistant TB remains a serious public-health and health-security threat.
The Philippines is also pursuing a broader national strategy to eliminate TB. WHO said the DOH is implementing the Philippine Acceleration Action Plan for Tuberculosis (PAAP-TB 2023–2035) and has set a target of screening 12 million Filipinos for TB by 2026 as part of efforts to find cases earlier and expand preventive treatment.
What Filipinos can do now
The DOH-CAR message is straightforward: do not ignore a persistent cough.
People experiencing symptoms associated with TB should consult a health facility for proper assessment and testing. TB services are available through health facilities across the Cordillera, where patients can receive consultation, diagnostic services, treatment and support.
National Lung Month is therefore more than a campaign about breathing better. It is also a reminder that early action can prevent an infection from becoming a life-threatening disease—and can help stop transmission within families and communities.
The bigger warning is difficult to miss: TB can be prevented, diagnosed and cured, but only if people recognize the signs and seek help early.
For a country that continues to carry one of the world’s heaviest TB burdens, that decision could make the difference between catching the disease early and discovering it only after it has already taken a much heavier toll.
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