GN clarifies HTLV-1 article

The article of Nov. 4, 2005 on HTLV-1 had several inaccuracies.

The article says the Japanese government dealt with an HTLV-1 outbreak by discouraging all breast-feeding. Not so. What Japan did was discourage HTLV-1 positive mothers from breast-feeding. We are doing the same in Nunavut.

Breast-feeding remains the healthy choice for baby and mother. That only changes if the mother is infected with HTLV-1.

Health Centres are now offering HTLV-1 testing as part of the pre-natal screening process.

Also, the article mixes two diseases into one.

HTLV-1 can trigger two quite separate health conditions.

One is called Tropical Spastic Paraparesis. This disease of the nervous system results in a loss of strength in the lower limbs and a loss of bladder control. Completely separate is T-cell leukemia or lymphoma (“cancers of the blood”), which does not have any preceding neurological symptoms.

I would encourage anyone with questions or concerns about HTLV-1 to visit their local health centre. Fact sheets are available. Testing is free and confidential.

Health and Social Services will not at any time be changing the over-all policy of promoting breast-feeding in Nunavut The reporter appears to be confusing two interventions now being undertaken in Nunavut.

The first intervention is a territory-wide pre-natal screening program. This will allow pregnant women to find out if they are infected with HTLV-1. Anyone who tests positive will be offered individual counselling about not just breast-feeding but a range of issues associated with HTLV-1.

The second intervention is a territory-wide unlinked, anonymous seroprevalence study. The results will show us how widespread the virus is in the general population. The study may take one or two years to be complete. However, by the spring we hope to have preliminary results which will guide any future interventions.

Dr. Isaac Sobol
Chief Medical Officer of Health