PM Trudeau must attend UN gathering on tuberculosis

This is a shot of the Mycobacterium germ that causes TB, as seen through a microscope. In 2016, the disease infected Nunavummiut at a rate nearly 180 times greater than among non-Indigenous Canadians. (PHOTO COURTESY OF THE CENTRE FOR DISEASE CONTROL/ DR. GEORGE KUBIC)

If you were the prime minister of Canada and you had pledged to do your part, in fact, had committed to the eradication of tuberculosis, at a time in history when all that was needed was the political will, what would you be doing on Sept. 26, 2018?

I, for one, will be watching the prime minister closely on that day, as TB knows no borders.

Canada has its share of TB. Who can forget 15-year-old Ileen Kooneeliusie, who died in January 2018 from the disease?

Nunavut has a staggering amount of deaths from tuberculosis, and yet Ileen’s diagnosis only came a few hours before her death.

If you think this disease cannot affect you, consider your next plane flight. Multi-drug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) is on the rise, so no one is immune.

On Sept. 26, 2018, heads of state will gather in New York for a United Nations general assembly high-level meeting on TB.

For this high-level meeting on TB to be truly groundbreaking, it must be attended by the highest-level country representatives.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau should be attending, leading the Canadian delegation, for Ileen, and for children and families who are affected by this disease within our borders and around the world.

Frances Beckow
Victoria, B.C.

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