TB: A Long Standing Battle with extreme ease, thereby speeding up the
By: JO1 Reinald Raven L Guerrero RN infection and spread among the jail populace.
Ever since its inception, the Bureau of
Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) has been
in a long standing battle against a nemesis which
has already affected and claimed many peoples
livesdetainees, visitors and personnel alike.
This nemesis still remains one of the 10 leading
causes of death among humans worldwide
according to the World Health Organization. It is
a formidable enemy due to its highly contagious
nature with a death toll of about 1.8 million
across the globe, and the numbers continue to
rise with time. This enemy is the diseases called
Tuberculosis (TB).
The problem of the prevalence of
Tuberculosis in our jails is something that cant
be taken lightly for the simple reason that it has
the power to take and destroy the precious lives
of the very people whom the bureau was
mandated to safekeep and develop, and more
importantly, harm the public, which the bureau
is tasked to endow with enhanced protection.
Enhancing public safety is not a matter that is
confined only to public order, but it extends to
the safety of the general public from contagious
diseases like TB, which, if treated accordingly
and cured inside jails, could substantially spare
and save the community from potential infection
by exposure to TB-inflicted detainees, jail
personnel and/or visitors.
Tuberculosis in jails and prisons is so
severely aggravated by the extreme
environmental conditions of such places, where
poor ventilation, lack of sun exposure,
overcrowding, congestion and poor nutrition is
almost inevitable. Mycobacterium Tuberculosis,
the causative agent of Tuberculosis, thrive in
these environments, where there is too much
shade and less sunlight, making such places
more like a reservoir for the organism. The lack
of space furthers the airborne transmission of TB
This probably explains why statistics by the
World Health Organization show that the level of
Tuberculosis in detention facilities are up to 100
times higher than that of the civilian population.
If this war against TB is to end, the
bureau, through its health service division, must
take aggressive action against the presence and
the entry of TB infection in jails.
Many die of ignorance, and ignorance of
TB is not an exception, thus, education shall be
one of the arsenal in battling TB. A lot of basic
and practical steps may be taken such as
initiating information dissemination activities
like information drives and distribution of
leaflets and reading materials pertaining to the
spread, symptoms and treatment of TB.
Detainees, as well as personnel and visitors may
be subjected to an educative class where TB is
substantially discussed and where they are
encouraged to voluntarily submit themselves to
TB detection and treatment when signs and
symptoms are observed or show up. Cough
Surveillance and Reporting should also be
consistently implemented.
Detection of TB must also be enhanced
by subjecting all detainees, including every single
new entrant, and all personnel, if possible, to TB
diagnostic tests like Direct Sputum Smear
Microscopy (DSSM), the more advanced, Gen
Xpert, and Chest X-ray. TB detection is the
primary tool in defeating TB, because TB can be
treated only when it is detected.
Last March 27-31, 2017, BJMP Caraga
and Butuan City Jail TB-DOTS/Health Service Unit
advanced the battle against TB by calling in the
aid of its allies namely the Department of Health
(DOH) and the Philippine Business for Social
Progress (PBSP), through an activity called TB
Caravan: Mass Screening in Jails held in Butuan
City Jail. During the activity total of 1156 male
and female detainees, or 100% of the male and dynamically steps up the fight and have men on
female dorm population of Butuan City Jail have the ground who works diligently with their
undergone chest X-ray taking. As a result, more hearts, victory is not and will never be a far-
or less 90 Chest X-rays yielded Pulmonary fetched destination. As the evils of TBand the
Tuberculosis (PTB) Positive result and all were other evilsflourish in our jails (and the world),
subjected to Gen Xpert (GenX) test to confirm so must the good step in and actively counteract
presence of TB and detect drug resistance. the formers ills, because just as what Edmund
Sputum specimen were delivered by Butuan City Burke said, The only thing necessary for the
Jail TBDOTS personnel to Agusan del Norte triumph of evil is that good men do nothing..
Provincial Hospital (ADNPH) and Butuan Medical Yes, a battle can be lost even when we fight, but
Center (BMC) for the said test. And to further the more so if we dont; Battles are won, only when
diagnosis, the GenX and Chest X-Ray results were they are fought.
accordingly referred to Dr. Makiling of the
Libertad Health Center under the Butuan City
Health Office for final determination of
treatment. Currently, about 60 detainees are
undergoing Category 1 or Category 2 TB
treatment appropriate to their individual cases
before the TB DOTS Facility of Butuan City Jail
manned by BJMP personnel SJO2 Florefe M
Badillo, Unit Chief and Staffs, JO1 Carla Tosca
Erika V Guittap and yours truly, JO1 Reinald
Raven L Guerrero. The number of treatments
shall continue to rise as the diagnostics progress
and as the search and destroy mission for new
TB cases continue.

During the treatment, detainees are

continuously and closely monitored by the
health staffs for their health status and progress
and it is made sure that they take their
medications continuously and religiously by
directly observing them during administration of
TB medications. Also, health education is
steadily provided to them, individually or
collectively, to encourage them to abide with
their treatment until they are fully cured and
freed from the chains of the disease. They are
also regularly subjected to Direct Sputum Smear
Microscopy (DSSM), courtesy of the Regional
Medical Technologist JO1 Jessie Z Doysabas,
RMT.

The battle against Tuberculosis may be

far from over, but as long as the bureau