About 1,600 people live in the settlement. Thirty-five of them have been diagnosed with active tuberculosis and 126 with latent tuberculosis. Latent TB is not contagious, according to the Nunavut health department, but still needs treatment to stop it from becoming active. The latest figures, announced on Friday morning, represent an increase from three months ago, when 31 people were diagnosed with active TB and 108 with latent TB. Nunavut declared an outbreak of the disease in Pangnirtung on November 25, 2021. The health department says anyone exposed to an active case should visit the health center for testing. They should also be checked if they show symptoms of tuberculosis. Symptoms of active TB include a cough that lasts longer than three weeks, feeling very tired, loss of appetite, and fever or night sweats. In the past, the region has resisted calls for community reporting of TB cases, arguing there is a stigma surrounding the disease. Earlier this year, the territory’s privacy commissioner said Nunavut needed to be more transparent about the disease and share statistics about the demographics affected.
