Nunavik on track to see record number of TB cases

Nunavik is on track to have a record-breaking number of tuberculosis cases this year.

The region has now reported 69 cases of the disease with outbreaks in six communities, said Dr. Yassen Tcholakov, the region’s interim director of public health.

He would not elaborate on which communities are affected, citing privacy concerns.

The previous record, set last year, is 94 cases. 

The Nunavik Regional Board of Health and Social Services has been slow to respond to the outbreaks due to staff shortages, lack of resources and technology limitations, said Tcholakov. 

“The objective that we’re working with the health system towards is to make sure that primary care for tuberculosis is available in people’s communities,” he said.

There are two main health-care centres in Nunavik: the Ungava Tulattavik Health Centre in Kuujjuaq and Inuulitsivik Health Centre in Puvirnituq. With a lack of X-ray machines in local communities, people have to travel to one of those two regional hospitals for TB diagnostic tests. 

“That’s still logistically challenging for people. It means they’re taking a few days out of their life for something that sometimes takes five minutes,” Tcholakov said. 

Nunavik’s 14 mayors signed a letter last month calling for a public health emergency to be declared over a “staggering” TB crisis in the region. Quebec Health Minister Christian Dubé said at the time he’s taking the situation “very seriously.”

Tcholakov said further conversations are ongoing regarding support from the Quebec Health Ministry.

Nunatsiaq News asked Dubé’s office for an update but hadn’t yet received a response late Monday afternoon.

Overcrowded housing is another contributing factor to this crisis, Tcholakov said. Because tuberculosis is an airborne disease, living in crowded settings increases the risk of transmission. 

Nunavik Housing Bureau’s director Lupin Daignault told Nunatsiaq News that his organization hasn’t been called to help manage the outbreaks. 

“We’re always open to work with the health department. There are all kinds of crises right now and the housing crisis has a significant impact on others because we know that housing is a basic need,” he said in a French interview. 

The Nunavik Housing Bureau manages social housing for 98 per cent of the population in Nunavik. A report earlier this year revealed that the region is short of more than 1,000 homes and more than a quarter of households have at least five residents. 

When asked if there would be emergency or temporary housing options available amid the outbreaks, Daignault said he can’t make these accommodations while there’s about 800 people on the waiting list for housing. 

“It’s really heartbreaking to have to choose,” he said.

In the meantime, Tcholakov advised people to seek early treatments if they have symptoms and get checked during screening campaigns.

He said it’s important to reduce stigma around the disease by supporting those in isolation. 

“Bring them something at home, so that they can have food, so that they can have what they need to actually stay in isolation.”