TB News Release

The DHSD with collaboration LGH today launched a campaign aimed at encouraging Nain residents who have not been screened to get screened for TB.

“By choosing to be screened you are playing a major role towards eliminating TB in the community,” says Nunatsiavut’s Director of Health Services, Sylvia Doody. “TB can be prevented but doing so takes a collaborative approach that involves the whole community.”

The Expanded community-wide screening initiative focuses primarily on residents who have not been screened following the death of a 14 year old youth in March 2018.

“It’s an unprecedented effort to contribute to the elimination of TB in the
Community and to help prevent future outbreaks” says Dr. Gabe Woollam, LGH’s vice president of medical services. “As in the case in other Inuit regions in Canada, TB rates in Nain are far too high and steps must be taken to reduce the number of cases and prevent the spread of the disease. The enhanced community testing is an effort to do just that.”

A public meeting was held in Nain last evening to provide an overview of the plans to increase awareness of TB, and to outline what steps are being taken to screen as many residents as possible.

Additional human resources will be mobilized to the community as part of the expanded screening initiative, which will continue as long as necessary to minimize further threat of tuberculosis.