TB cases hit record high in Nunavut

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TB cases hit record high in Nunavut

Tue Aug 17, 12:41 PM

SASKATCHEWAN (CBC) - Health officials in Nunavut are trying to contain the

largest number of tuberculosis cases the territory has seen in more than a

decade.

Since January, 81 Nunauvmmiut have been diagnosed with the highly contagious

respiratory disease, with most of the cases detected in Iqaluit and Cape Dorset.

That total is already the highest number of yearly TB cases in more than a

decade, breaking the previous record of 58 infections in 2008.

" We could possibly get 130 cases, " Elaine Randell, a communicable health

specialist with Nunavut's health department, told CBC News on Monday.

Dr. Geraldine Osborne, Nunavut's deputy chief medical officer, said the number

of TB cases has been growing over the past few years, but not to the same extent

as this year.

Osborne said social conditions are partly to blame for the spread of TB, which

has long been a health problem in northern communities.

" By and large it's due to issues such as overcrowding with poor ventilation in

houses poor nutrition, addictions. All these health issues impact on the

vulnerability of a population to TB, " she said.

" Issues of poverty really underlie a lot of the high rates of TB, and they're

really beyond the control of the health department. They involve long-term

investment. There's no quick-fix solution. "

One-third of this year's TB cases involve people aged 15 to 24, according to

health officials. Osborne said younger people tend to ignore the symptoms and

wait longer to seek medical attention.

The health department is urging people to watch for the signs of TB, which

include persistent coughing, night sweats, a loss of appetite and fatigue.

Anyone who shows those symptoms should get tested, officials say.

Caused by the Mycobacterium tuberculosis bacteria, TB is an airborne disease

that can spread when individuals with the disease cough, sneeze, spit or even

talk.

Some people who contract TB have the active disease, meaning they have the

symptoms and are contagious. In other cases, people can have a latent TB

infection, meaning they do not show any symptoms and cannot spread the disease.

Nunavut's health department is bringing in more staff, from clerical workers to

nurses, to help contain the spread of TB in communities. Randell said the extra

staff are coming from other health programs within Nunavut.

" There's a lot of work involved in each one of these cases. Not only is there

the identification and treatment of that person with the infectious, active case

of tuberculosis, but also they have to check for contacts [and] screen them, "

Randell said.

" It all snowballs into a lot of extra work. "