TO prevent the outbreak of tuberculosis (TB) among inmates in Metro Manila jails, the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology-National Capital Region (BJMP-NCR) has intensified its anti-TB campaign in jails under its jurisdiction as it starts to deploy today its trained health workers to different  NCR jails to address the needs of TB-infected prisoners.

In a report to Interior and Local Government Secretary Jesse Robredo, BJMP-NCR director C/Supt. Benito Dorigo said the bureau’s anti-TB drive is in support of the National Tuberculosis Control Program (NTCP) of the Department of Health.

“This is part of our efforts to help contain, prevent and cure TB within our jails,” Dorigo said.

BJMP records show that TB is the second leading cause of death among inmates in Philippine jails, next to cardio respiratory arrest.

Last year, 24 inmates died of TB in the different NCR jails, while this year, from January to present alone, 10 inmates have succumbed because of this illness,” he said.

Dorigo said the bureau’s health care workers who were trained on the conduct of Direct Sputum Smear Microscopy (DSSM) examination on suspected TB inmates shall closely monitor the progress of patients receiving anti-TB treatment until they are cured.

“Before, we only refer suspected TB patients to health clinics and hospitals, but now, the jail itself can be a treatment site because of the training of our health workers on DSSM,” he said.

According to Dorigo, a separate area in the jail shall be designated as a treatment site for prisoners with TB.

Earlier, the DILG issued a directive to all local chief executives encouraging them to fully support the management of tuberculosis in jails or prisons.

Tuberculosis or TB is an infectious disease caused by the “tubercle bacilli” bacteria which affect the lungs but may also attack any part of the body like the bones, intestines and kidneys.