Tuberculosis (TB)
A cough over two weeks is not just a cough.
What it is
- A bacterial infection, usually of the lungs, spread through the air by coughing and sneezing.
- The Philippines remains among the countries with the highest TB burden worldwide.
- Latent TB: the bacteria are present but dormant — no symptoms, not contagious.
- Active TB: the bacteria multiply and cause illness; contagious without treatment.
Symptoms of active TB
- A cough lasting two weeks or more — the key warning sign.
- Fever, drenching night sweats and unexplained weight loss.
- Coughing up blood in later stages.
- Tiredness and loss of appetite.
Testing and treatment
- A chest X-ray and sputum test confirm lung TB; skin or blood tests can show exposure.
- Standard treatment is several antibiotics daily for at least six months — provided free through public health centres under the national TB programme (DOH).
- Most people stop being infectious within weeks of starting proper treatment.
- Completing the full course is essential — stopping early causes drug-resistant TB, which is far harder and costlier to cure.
Prevention and who is at risk
- BCG vaccine at birth protects children against severe forms.
- Higher risk: household contacts of TB patients, diabetes, smoking, HIV, malnutrition.
- Cover coughs, ventilate crowded rooms, and finish treatment to break the chain.
- Household members of a TB patient should be screened too.
Seek medical help urgently if
- Coughing up blood
- Cough with weight loss and night sweats lasting over two weeks
- Severe breathlessness or chest pain
- Swelling of the neck with fever (glands outside the lungs can be TB too)
General information only — not a substitute for medical advice.