Canada’s chief public health officer will tour Nunavut this week.
Dr. Theresa Tam will visit the Arctic communities of Naujaat, (Repulse Bay), Pond Inlet and Iqaluit to coincide with the launch of a community-wide screening clinic for tuberculosis (TB) in Naujaat.
TB is a infectious disease that doesn’t feature prominently in the Canadian consciousness, but remains an issue in the North.
In 2023, 1,904 active TB cases were reported in 2023. That averages out to .05 active cases per 100,000 people.
The number of infections is higher among Métis (2.1) First Nations (16.1) and Inuit populations (135.1,) according to Health Canada. Naujaat, located x km from Iqaluit, and Pond Inlet, x km from Iqaluit, are presently experiencing TB outbreaks.
“The rates of TB in Nunavut are already much higher than the rest of Canada because of overcrowded homes and difficulties in accessing health-care services,” said Paul Irngaut, vice-president of NTI, in a news release.
Five years ago, Ottawa and Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, a national Inuit advocacy group, announced plans to reduce active TB across Inuit Nunangat by at least half to no more than 100 cases per 100,000 people by 2025, and eliminate it entirely by 2030.
Inuit Nunangat, or Inuit homeland in Canada, is made up of more than 50 communities in Nunavut, the Northwest Territories, Quebec and Labrador.
“Early detection is key to eliminating TB from our communities,” said Nunavut Health Minister John Main in the release.
Tuberculosis is airborne and, according to Health Canada, requires prolonged exposure in order to spread. During COVID-19 the focus on coronavirus affected testing and treatment rates.
Tam will be accompanied by Irngaut, Main and Nunavut’s deputy chief public health officer Dr. Ekua Agyemang, among others.
Although TB remains the focus of the visit, Tam will also meet with community groups and organizations to discuss issues such as homelessness, health education, mental health and health research initiatives.
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