Aglukkaq commits $800K to fight Nunavut TB

Federal Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq has announced $800,000 for a new program to fight tuberculosis in Nunavut, where a record number of TB infections was set last year.

Speaking to reporters Thursday in Iqaluit, Aglukkaq said the federal money will go toward Taima TB, whichmeans "Stop TB" in Inuktitut. The project is a partnership with the Nunavut government.

"As northerners, we are very familiar with tuberculosis a disease that affects our communities and has a profound impact on individuals in our communities," said Aglukkaq, who is the Conservative MP for Nunavut and a former territorial health minister.

"Too many families have lost loved ones over the years to this disease and too many people have suffered from the physical effects of tuberculosis and the long process of treating it."

Tuberculosis is a highly contagious and potentially fatal respiratory disease that can be contracted simply by breathing in the TB bacterium.

Tuberculosis was virtually wiped out after the introduction of drugs and vaccinations in the 1960s, but it has lingered in Canada's remote and aboriginal communities due to poverty, overcrowded, poorly ventilated housing and other socio-economic factors.

Treating TB before it's contagious

At least 100 people were diagnosed with active tuberculosis in 2010, setting a record. The tuberculosis rate is about 62 times the national average in the territory, which has a predominantly Inuit population.

"I have seen the damage of tuberculosis and what tuberculosis can do. When I was health minister for Nunavut, it was one of the main public health concerns, and it continues to be a concern," Aglukkaq said.

Under the Taima TB program, teams will go door-to-door to test residents for latent tuberculosis, in which patients have been exposed to TB bacteria but are not showing symptoms.

Those who test positive for latent TB will be treated before the infections develop into active and contagious tuberculosis.

The Taima TB teams will include nurses and Inuktitut interpreters who can communicate with residents who do not speak English.

"Our goal here is to stop the spread of TB in Nunavut," Aglukkaq said. "But to achieve that goal, we will have to make good use of the most important resources that we already have in Nunavut, and that is our people."

Health officials said the door-to-door screening will take place first in Iqaluit, but could not say when it will start.

A public awareness campaign will be launchedacross the territory in the next couple of months. The campaign will include town hall meetings and the use of social networking websites like Facebook.

Aglukkaq also announced that Dr. Gonzalo Alvarez, a respirologist and researcher with the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, has agreed to be a consultant respirologist for Nunavut.