CEBU CITY, Philippines  — Health officials in the region are noting an increase of tuberculosis and typhoid cases in Central Visayas but stressed that these number of cases are not alarming.

Jocelyn Tabo-tabo, DoH-7 nurse coordinator of the National TB Program said, “Our consistent education campaign for the public to seek early medical consultation for chronic cough together with our partnership with private hospitals and phy-sicians has encouraged the public to avail of our free services which are reflected in our data reports.”

Tabo-tabo disclosed that the government offers free medication to TB patients including those afflicted with severe TB, or are resistant to drugs which are normally prescribed to treat the disease.

She added that based on her agency’s monitoring efforts, a five percent increase per quarter on TB cases in the region totaling 12,032 was recorded in 2010.

Of total cases, Cebu province recorded 3,897 followed by Bohol with 2,157 cases, Negros Oriental with 1,954 and Siquijor with 175 reported cases. Other cases were documented in the cities of Cebu, Mandaue and Lapu-Lapu.

Meanwhile, data from the DoH 7 Regional Epidemiological Surveillance Unit (RESU) showed that there was a 40 percent increase of typhoid cases in Central Visayas during the first eight months of this year.

RESU figures showed that there were 1,375 typhoid cases and 12 deaths as a result of such cases recorded from January 1 to August 6 this year.

The said figure is 41.6 percent higher compared to the same period last year when the agency recorded only 971 cases and 12 deaths.

The town of Alegria in Cebu province had the most number – 275- of cases with three deaths, followed by Cebu City with 213 cases and Guihulngan town in Negros Oriental Province with 113 cases.

Some 60 cases of typhoid were also recorded in Tubigon town, Bohol, followed by Dumaguete City with 41 cases.