Philippines Says Tuberculosis Cases Hit the Army

Hundreds of Philippine soldiers sent to tropical jungles to hunt down communist guerrillas and Islamic militants have fallen ill with tuberculosis, an army doctor said Wednesday.

Hundreds of Philippine soldiers sent to tropical jungles to hunt down communist guerrillas and Islamic militants have fallen ill with tuberculosis, an army doctor said Wednesday.Colonel Rafael Regino, the military’s surgeon general, said over 200 cases of tuberculosis had been reported from January to June this year, in addition to about 800 cases in 2003, attributing the infection to harsh combat conditions.The Philippines has one of the most ill-equipped armies in the Asia-Pacific region, patrolling with 60-year-old navy boats and Vietnam War-vintage aircraft. Soldiers also complain of worn-out boots and low pay compared with other civil servants.The health department has expressed concern over the high rate of tuberculosis infection among soldiers, citing lack of discipline and unhealthy lifestyle as possible factors for the spread of the disease.Tuberculosis, an infectious illness that usually attacks the lungs, has remained as the 6th leading cause of annual death in the Philippines, killing over 110,000 people in 2001 at a rate of 142 per 100,000 people in the country, according to the health department.”We’re worried when the positivity rate among the military is so big,” Health Undersecretary Antonio Lopez told reporters last week.”They’re supposed to be fit. Many issues would have been solved by discipline.”But Regino disputed this, saying less than 1 percent of soldiers were affected and being treated for tuberculosis.He said soldiers contracted the disease after prolonged exposure to elements during operations and harsh combat condition.”If tuberculosis is present in the population, expect it to be also in the military,” said another army doctor, adding it has become a concern because soldiers are constantly on the move and could spread the infection.Lieutenant-Colonel Angelita Larin, head of army’s preventive medicine office, said most of the tuberculosis cases were only discovered through passive surveillance, or only after soldiers were taken to military hospitals.She said the army also has inadequate facilities and only 11 of 31 military hospitals have facilities to run tests and treat tuberculosis cases.Non-commissioned officers undergo medical check-ups once every 3 years during re-enlistment but officers have annual checks, she said.(Source: Reuters, August 2004)