Nunavut declares tuberculosis outbreak in Pond Inlet

Nunavut’s chief public health officer has declared an outbreak of tuberculosis in Pond Inlet.

Five people in the north Baffin community of about 1,550 currently have active tuberculosis, the territorial health department said in a Friday news release. Twenty-two people have been diagnosed with latent tuberculosis.

The difference between the two is that active tuberculosis is contagious. Latent tuberculosis isn’t, but needs to be treated so it doesn’t turn into active tuberculosis.

“The growing number of cases suggests that enhanced public health follow-up is necessary,” the department stated.

Pond Inlet is now one of two Nunavut communities where a tuberculosis outbreak has been declared. An outbreak in Pangnirtung has been ongoing since November 2021.

The Department of Health says anyone with symptoms or who has been exposed to active tuberculosis should visit the health centre.

Symptoms include loss of appetite, tiredness, a persistent cough, fever or night sweats.

Tuberculosis has been a scourge in Nunavut for decades.

Hopes were high when the federal government announced in 2018 that it would eliminate TB in Inuit communities by 2030.

Two years later, rates of TB had barely changed and funding for the project had dried up.

The COVID-19 pandemic further delayed efforts to eliminate the disease.

In November, the Nunavut government signed an agreement with Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. to share information on tuberculosis numbers and notify Nunavut Tunngavik of outbreaks.

Related stories from around the North: 

Canada: Eliminating tuberculosis among Canada’s Inuit stalled due to lack of funding, CBC News

United States: Coronavirus hurting Alaska attempt to reduce tuberculosis, The Associated Press