Manila, Philippines – August 20, 2025
A total of 38 stakeholders representing government agencies, private medical practitioners, laboratory staff, medical societies, civil society organizations (CSOs), tuberculosis (TB) experts, and TB partners convened in a hybrid forum at the Orchid Garden Hotel, Malate, Manila, on August 20, 2025. The session aimed to validating the interim policy on stool-based Low Complexity – Nucleic Acid Amplification Test (LC-NAAT) for the diagnosis of TB in children.
About the Forum
The forum served as a platform to finalize the policy aimed at making TB testing for children more timely, accurate, and child-friendly. Since many children are unable to produce sputum samples for testing, stool-based LC-NAAT provides a less invasive and more accessible diagnostic alternative.
Following a series of consultation meetings engaging clinicians, patient support groups, laboratory coordinators, medical technologists, program managers, medical societies and other TB partners, stakeholders reached consensus on the policy’s finalization, marking a milestone that underscores the shared commitment to advance pediatric TB care in the Philippines and expand access to accurate diagnostic tools for children at risk of TB.
During the session, the laboratory consultant presented the revised diagnostic algorithm, which was followed by technical discussions and a plenary feedback exchange with participants. Their insights further refined the technical guide, pediatric TB diagnostic algorithm, and operational framework. By the end of the forum, agreement was secured on the policy’s adoption, nationwide rollout, and monitoring plan, ensuring readiness for implementation.
The forum was organized by the ASCENT DR-TB Project implemented by KNCV TB Plus, in close collaboration with the National Tuberculosis Control Program of the Disease Prevention and Control Bureau – Department of Health (DOH) and the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine – National Tuberculosis Reference Laboratory (RITM-NTRL).
Together, we take a crucial step forward to ensure that no child is left behind in the fight to End TB.
