Aklan launches ‘TB in Prison’ program

By Venus G. Villanueva

Thursday 30th of August 2012

KALIBO, Aklan, Aug 30 (PIA) -- The Provincial Health Office (PHO) in Aklan has conducted a “TB in Prison” program in observance of Lung Month.

The program aims to prevent the spread of tuberculosis (TB) among inmates in Aklan prisons.

The TB in Prison activity was the first of its kind held simultaneously in the two detention facilities, the Aklan Rehabilitation Center (ARC) and the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP), all located in Barangay Nalook, Kalibo, Aklan.

The program involves the conduct of information and education campaign on basic facts on tuberculosis, the government’s directly-observed treatment short course, personal hygiene, healthy lifestyle and exercise, proper nutrition, the ill-effects of smoking and alcohol and on human immunodeficiency virus infection/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) to 410 inmates – 283 from the ARC and 127 from the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology.

The topic on HIV and AIDS were discussed in the activity, as tuberculosis is considered one “opportunistic” disease which can cause death in a person suffering from full-blown AIDS.

Resource persons in the health information campaign included Dr. Felma de la Cruz of Aklan Medical Society and Debbie Villaflor, Robbie Bastareche and Rossini Mortalla of the PHO, who are also members of the Provincial Tuberculosis Council and cooperator of the activity.

In the activity, the PHO’s medical technologists also collected sputum of detainees who were having cough for two weeks and those who volunteered to have their sputum examined.

Besides the lectures and free medical consultations, the PHO also gave out cough medicines, antibiotics and vitamins for use of the detainees.

This year’s Lung Month celebration theme is “TB-Free Philippines: Continuing Challenge from Childhood to Adulthood. (JCM/VGV-PIA6 Aklan)