Dole Food expands tuberculosis treatment program in Philippines

Dole Food Company says that it will strengthen its Tuberculosis (TB) initiative in 2007 at the company’s two Philippine divisions, Dole Packaged Foods-Dolefil and Dole Fresh Fruit-Stanfilco.

The program, TB-DOTS, seeks to raise awareness about TB among Dole Philippines employees and their communities, correct misconceptions about the disease, reduce its stigma, and treat those afflicted with the disease.

“As a result of our efforts, about 100 cases have been successfully treated out of 400 referrals,” says Filemon Sanchez, Human Resources manager.

Tuberculosis is a curable disease but remains one of the leading causes of death in the Philippines. Seventy-five Filipinos die of TB every day, most of them in the wage-earning years of their lives. If untreated, a person with TB can transmit the bacteria to 10 to 15 close contacts in a year, wherein one can develop the infection into TB disease.