Alden Richards explains why he joined USAID's End Tuberculosis campaign

Apart from being an ambassador for the Department of Health's (DOH) campaign against the spread COVID-19, Alden Richards is now also the face of the United States Agency for International Development's (USAID) End Tuberculosis campaign in the Philippines.

In an interview with GMA News, Asia's Multimedia Star explained how the effort to help fight the spread of TB was somehow aligned with his advocacy to help Filipinos fight the spread of COVID-19.

"Aligned with COVID-19, 'yung precautionary methods that should be taken to avoid the disease (tuberculosis) kasi parehas silang respiratory illness, it’s contagious, so aligned din siya doon sa mga precautionary measures na pinapagawa ng DOH sa atin para maiwasan 'yung COVID-19," Alden said.

Alden wanted to remind the public to take extra precaution not only to avoid COVID-19, but the spread of other harmful diseases like tuberculosis, as well.

"Since nakakahawa din siya from person-to-person transfer din 'yung virus, so it also gives knowledge to other people na hindi lang COVID-19 ang kailangan nating iwasan. Marami pa tayong sakit na kailangan nating iwasan," Alden said.

Tuberculosis is a bacterial infection spread through inhaling tiny droplets from the coughs or sneezes of an infected person.

While there are some differences in their mode of transmission, TB and COVID-19 are both spread by close contact between people.

Transmission of COVID-19 has primarily been attributed to the direct breathing of droplets expelled by someone with COVID-19

Thus, wearing a mask, social distancing and handwashing are encouraged in the effort to curb the spread of COVID-19.

As of Wednesday, August 26, the DOH has recorded over 202,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases in the country, with 3,137 deaths and 133,460 recoveries.

USAID leads the US government’s global TB efforts, working with agencies and partners around the world with a goal to "reach every person with TB, cure those in need of treatment, and prevent the spread of new infections."

According to their website, "USAID supports countries in reaching the global targets of diagnosing and enrolling 40 million people on TB treatment and enrolling 30 million on TB preventive therapy by 2022." —Margaret Claire Layug/JCB, GMA News