Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis (TB) is caused by a bacterium, which is spread when
someone with the disease coughs and another person breathes the
bacteria. TB usually attacks the lungs, but can also affect other
parts of the body such as the lymph nodes.
The person's immune system may kill the TB bacteria. If
the immune system doesn't kill the bacteria, however, the
bacteria can remain alive but inactive in the body. This is called
TB infection. A person with TB infection is not sick and cannot
spread the TB to others.
People with TB infection may progress to TB disease if their immune
system weakens. A person with TB disease feels sick and may infect
others. For more information on TB, refer to the Tuberculosis Facts Tuberculosis
Facts.
Health Canada works with First Nations health authorities to reduce
the incidence of tuberculosis (TB) in First Nations communities,
where TB rates are 8 to 10 times higher than overall Canadian rates.
Are First Nations people more at risk?
Studies have shown that First Nations people are more at risk
than other Canadians of getting TB infection. Some of the root
causes are related to poor socio-economic standards.
TB is more likely to occur in communities where people live in
overcrowded housing and in remote areas, where access to health
professionals is limited. First Nations communities are more vulnerable
to outbreaks of the infectious disease, such as the TB epidemic
that occurred in the early 20th century.
Tuberculosis in First Nations Communities
The
Tuberculosis in First Nations Communities page describes
a period in the history of First Nations people, where death
rates due to TB reached 700 per 100,000. In addition, this section
provides a comparison of First Nations and national TB rates,
and explains some of the risk factors.
For more information on how the First Nations and Inuit Health
Branch of Health Canada helps ensure that TB is controlled and
prevented, refer to the Tuberculosis
in First Nations Communities, 1999 report.
Trends in Tuberculosis
The Trends
in Tuberculosis in the Canadian First Nations Population poster provides
an overview of current trends in tuberculosis in the Registered
Indians population across Canada.
National Tuberculosis Elimination Strategy
While TB can be cured with antibiotics, it can be controlled and
therefore prevented. The First Nations and Inuit Health Branch
of Health Canada contributes to this goal through its National
Tuberculosis Elimination Strategy.
Although the rates have not decreased enough, the strategy has
been successful in controlling TB through public awareness and
by ensuring that health professionals working in First Nations
and Inuit communities have the tools to help control and prevent
TB.
The Tuberculosis Elimination Strategy was implemented in 1992,
with the goal of reducing incidence of TB disease in the First
Nations on-reserve population to 1 per 100,000 by the year 2010.
Additional Resources
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