ERMITA, Manila — Noting that the Philippines is among eight countries that accounts for two-thirds of global tuberculosis (TB) cases, the group known as Médecins SansFrontières (MSF, Doctors Without Borders) is urging countries that are experiencing the absence of laboratory tests to adopt treatment decision algorithms for TB in children, as recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO).

Based on its latest report on the state of TB care for children in 14 high-burden countries, MSF said that the Philippines has shown a slight resurgence in TB incidence along with several other countries that include India, China, Indonesia, Pakistan, Nigeria, Bangladesh and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The report, titled TACTIC: Test, Avoid, Cure TB in Children, underscored that children with TB remain neglected in global efforts to combat the disease. It reveals significant gaps in national TB policies, with only one country achieving full alignment with WHO guidelines, seven achieving more than 80 percent alignment and four falling below 50 percent.

Critically, only five of the surveyed countries—Afghanistan, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, Guinea, India, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Republic of South Sudan, and Uganda—have updated guidelines to enable TB treatment in children based on clinical symptoms when bacteriological tests are unavailable. Even fewer countries have allocated resources to implement these guidelines effectively.

According to Stijn Deborggraeve, diagnostics advisor at the MSF Access Campaign, "TB is curable, also in children, yet countries are lagging in adopting solutions."

The MSF report also highlighted the pressing need for newer, child-friendly TB drug formulations and shorter, all-oral treatment regimens. Despite their availability, however, bureaucratic barriers and funding gaps hinder their procurement, leaving children to endure unsuitable and potentially harmful treatment options.

Dr. Cathy Hewison, head of the MSF TB working group, emphasized the urgency of addressing the barriers while calling on governments, donors and global health organizations to act with urgency in order to ensure that no child dies or suffers from a preventable, treatable disease like TB.

"The tools and treatments we have must reach the children who need them most—now,” Hewison stressed.
WHO estimates that 1.25 million children and young adolescents fall ill with TB annually, yet only half receive diagnosis and treatment. The global TB crisis has worsened, with the disease reclaiming its position as the world’s deadliest infectious killer in 2023, according to the Global Tuberculosis Report 2024 shared by MSF.