By Canadian Press

Feds to commit to timeline on eradicating tuberculosis in the North

Mar 22, 2018 | 2:15 PM

OTTAWA — The federal government is about to announce a timeline for eradicating tuberculosis in the north.

Indigenous Services Minister Jane Philpott and Natan Obed, head of Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, or ITK, are scheduled to make the announcement Friday morning ahead of World Tuberculosis Day on the weekend.

Tuberculosis is a sometimes-fatal, infectious airborne disease that is spread by coughing, spitting and sneezing, making it especially contagious in the North due to the close living conditions stemming from the region’s severe housing shortage.

Estimates from 2016 show that Inuit in Canada are nearly 300 times more likely to contract tuberculosis than the country’s Canadian-born, non-Indigenous population and those figures are predicted to climb.

The federal budget unveiled late last month earmarked $27.5 million over five years to eliminate tuberculosis in the North.

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The funding will support an approach led by ITK, which involves prevention, detection, screening, treatment and awareness.

On Sunday, a 14-year-old boy from a remote community in Labrador died while being treated for tuberculosis.

The province’s health department says while an autopsy remains to be conducted, there is a strong indication the cause of death was tuberculosis.

The government is working to identify anyone who had regular or prolonged contact with the boy and may have been exposed to the disease.

Tuberculosis is a bacterial infection that can affect the lungs and other parts of the body, including the kidneys and spine, and symptoms may include coughing, chest pain, fever, fatigue and night sweats.

It can be cured, but must first be diagnosed and treatment typically involves taking medication for up to a year.

The Canadian Press

by Canadian Press

Feds to commit to timeline on eradicating tuberculosis in the North

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