Figures released Friday show 161 people with active or latent TB
The Nunavut Department of Health says the TB outbreak announced in Pangnirtung last fall is still ongoing. (file photo)
From The Nation News
The number of TB cases in Pangnirtung continues to rise, according to numbers released by the Nunavut Department of Health. As of Friday, 126 people in the settlement have been diagnosed with latent TB and another 35 with active TB since January 2021. Three months ago, 108 people had been diagnosed with latent TB and 31 with active TB. Latent TB is not contagious, but still needs treatment, according to the department. The health department recently pledged to publicly report the number of TB cases in Pangnirtung every three months. The Nunavut government declared a tuberculosis outbreak in the settlement of about 1,600 people in November 2021. Tuberculosis, which is treated with drugs, is a bacterial infection that usually affects the lungs. It is spread through airborne droplets caused by sneezing or coughing and can be serious if left untreated. A March 2018 report by the Public Health Service of Canada stated that tuberculosis rates are almost 300 times higher among Inuit than for the Canadian-born, non-Indigenous population. The news release from the health department said anyone who has been exposed to an active case of TB or has symptoms of TB should visit a health center for testing. The following are symptoms of active TB:
Cough that lasts more than three weeks.• Feeling very tired.• Loss of appetite.• Fever or night sweats.
