Tuberculosis Outbreak Hits Nunavut

Infection rates in the northern territory are 62 times the national average.

It’s a disease that most Canadians consider consigned to the History books, but in Nunavut TB is making a comeback. The way the federal government handled TB outbreaks in the mid-20th century traumatized Inuit communities, leading to a mistrust of the medical system that lingers today and is hampering efforts to treat the disease. The government relocated sufferers to southern sanatoriums and many never returned. Their families were often not told how they died. Many Nunavummiut live in overcrowded houses and suffer from poverty and poor nutrition, leaving them vulnerable to the disease. Tuberculosis is treatable with a six-month regimen of antibiotics, but the health system is already overstretched and remote communities are difficult for doctors to visit regularly.