Can AI help solve PH's tuberculosis problem? | ABS-CBN
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Can AI help solve PH's tuberculosis problem?
Can AI help solve PH's tuberculosis problem?
Scanning electron micrograph of Mycobacterium tuberculosis bacteria, which cause TB, colorized in Halloween colors. Credit: NIAID
Scanning electron micrograph of Mycobacterium tuberculosis bacteria, which cause TB, colorized in Halloween colors. Credit: NIAIDMANILA — A local NGO and a German medical technology company have partnered to bring in the Philippines an AI technology aiming to "accelerate" the screening and treatment of tuberculosis (TB) in the country.
MANILA — A local NGO and a German medical technology company have partnered to bring in the Philippines an AI technology aiming to "accelerate" the screening and treatment of tuberculosis (TB) in the country.
The Philippines is among the top 5 "highest TB burden" countries in the world.
The Philippines is among the top 5 "highest TB burden" countries in the world.
Tisha Boatman, Siemens Healthineers' Executive Vice President for External Affairs and Healthcare Access, said the new technology will be rolled out in 28 sites in the country with the help of Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP).
Tisha Boatman, Siemens Healthineers' Executive Vice President for External Affairs and Healthcare Access, said the new technology will be rolled out in 28 sites in the country with the help of Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP).
"What this means in very simple terms is we're using an AI technology approved by the World Health Organization (WHO) to accelerate what's called active case finding," Boatman told ANC's Headstart on Friday.
"What this means in very simple terms is we're using an AI technology approved by the World Health Organization (WHO) to accelerate what's called active case finding," Boatman told ANC's Headstart on Friday.
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HOW THE AI WORKS
Diagram from Tisha Boatman's Headstart interviewBoatman explained that the AI technology would be applied at the screening level, on the same day the X-ray was done, so the individual would no longer have to wait for a professional to interpret the result, therefore speeding up the diagnosis.
Diagram from Tisha Boatman's Headstart interviewBoatman explained that the AI technology would be applied at the screening level, on the same day the X-ray was done, so the individual would no longer have to wait for a professional to interpret the result, therefore speeding up the diagnosis. "X-rays can be challenging to read and requires specialized staff but AI is an improved screening method now... The AI can be done in one minute. Someone receives their X-ray, they very quickly can have a screening on the spot, rather than be sent home where they may infect others... Reading the X-ray on the spot with the AI is the major innovation here," she said.
"X-rays can be challenging to read and requires specialized staff but AI is an improved screening method now... The AI can be done in one minute. Someone receives their X-ray, they very quickly can have a screening on the spot, rather than be sent home where they may infect others... Reading the X-ray on the spot with the AI is the major innovation here," she said.
The AI will then tell if the person is "presumptive" for TB, and will then recommend it for sputum test to confirm the disease.
The AI will then tell if the person is "presumptive" for TB, and will then recommend it for sputum test to confirm the disease.
"It is doing a quick screening [if] this person is presumptive for TB and requires the sputum test, which is an expensive test, takes time so you don't want to use the sputum test to everybody. You wanna screen as many people as possible with the AI and then use the sputum test to those cases that are presumptive," she said.
"It is doing a quick screening [if] this person is presumptive for TB and requires the sputum test, which is an expensive test, takes time so you don't want to use the sputum test to everybody. You wanna screen as many people as possible with the AI and then use the sputum test to those cases that are presumptive," she said.
Boatman estimates that the new technology will allow for the screening of "approximately 1.5 million additional Filipinos per year."
Boatman estimates that the new technology will allow for the screening of "approximately 1.5 million additional Filipinos per year."
'TB IS CURABLE'
A man receives his tuberculosis medicines at the Batasan Hills Health Center in Quezon City on September 28, 2021. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News/File
A man receives his tuberculosis medicines at the Batasan Hills Health Center in Quezon City on September 28, 2021. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News/FileBoatman describes the AI as "one of the most significant innovations in the potential elimination of TB in the last couple of years."
Boatman describes the AI as "one of the most significant innovations in the potential elimination of TB in the last couple of years."
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"TB is all about finding people who are asymptomatic and potentially infecting others without realizing they are... One person with active TB can infect 15 people a year," she said.
"TB is all about finding people who are asymptomatic and potentially infecting others without realizing they are... One person with active TB can infect 15 people a year," she said.
"TB preventable and curable," she added.
"TB preventable and curable," she added.
TB, once called consumption, is caused by a bacteria that primarily attacks the lungs and is transmitted through the air by infected people, for example, by coughing.
TB, once called consumption, is caused by a bacteria that primarily attacks the lungs and is transmitted through the air by infected people, for example, by coughing.
The Department of Health (DOH) last year said total of 612,000 TB cases were reported in the Philippines in 2023, or equivalent to approximately 549 cases per 100,000 population, marking an increase from 439 cases per 100,000 in 2022.
The Department of Health (DOH) last year said total of 612,000 TB cases were reported in the Philippines in 2023, or equivalent to approximately 549 cases per 100,000 population, marking an increase from 439 cases per 100,000 in 2022.
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