Latest News

Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION

TB cases on rise in Manitoba

Province leads country in infection rates

By: Jen Skerritt

Posted: 03/10/2010 1:00 AM | Comments: 0 (including replies) | Last Modified: 04/14/2010 7:03 AM | Updates

Enlarge Image

Manitoba leads nation in infection rates. (WAYNE.GLOWACKI@FREEPRESS.MB.CA)

Rising rates

Medical experts like Dr. Earl Hershfield warned for decades that TB will never go away unless the standard of living among First Nations improves. The warning went unheeded, and the disease simmered under the radar and declined throughout the 1980s and '90s until it surged in the last few years. Annual TB cases reported in Manitoba:

1968	230
1977	160
1989	100
1996	97
2008	141
2009	156

Visit the interactive TB website at winnipegfreepress.com/tb to read the Free Press' six-part TB series and watch videos, see slide shows and scroll through 100 years of TB history in Manitoba.

Related Items

Articles
- MP calls for emergency debate on TB rates
Links
- The Forgotten Disease: Interactive TB series

The number of Manitobans infected with tuberculosis hit a 25-year high last year, raising alarm among First Nation leaders and medical experts that nothing is being done to address the root cause of the disease.

The latest provincial disease statistics reveal Manitoba recorded 156 TB cases in 2009 -- the highest number recorded in a single year since the late 1970s. In the past four years TB cases have jumped by 50 per cent, leaving Manitoba with higher rates of the disease than any other province.

Former provincial TB control director Dr. Earl Hershfield said it's a trend that shouldn't exist in Manitoba, since caseloads are falling in virtually every other jurisdiction in North America and Europe. Hershfield said TB is getting worse in Manitoba because the health-care system is not doing enough to prevent new cases and no one has proposed solutions to the overcrowding and poverty that helps TB spread.

Manitoba Health told the Free Press to speak to officials at the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority about what's behind the province-wide increase in TB cases. The WRHA did not respond to the Free Press by press time.

The number of annual TB cases reported in Manitoba hovered around 100 from the late 1980s until 2003 when they began to increase.

"The issue is it should never be that high in Manitoba," said Hershfield, who managed Manitoba's TB control program until he retired in 2003. "There are more cases, in my view, because in the past few years they haven't done a good job of finding cases."

TB is an infectious disease that experts say is a byproduct of overcrowded homes, malnutrition and poor overall health. The airborne disease is rampant in many northern Manitoba communities where cramped living quarters help it spread.

A recent Free Press series revealed some Manitoba First Nations have recorded some of the highest rates of TB in the world since the mid-1970s. Some northern Manitoba communities have recorded more than 600 cases of TB per 100,000. By comparison, Canada's national rate is five cases per 100,000.

Ron Evans, Grand Chief of the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs, said he's concerned about the persistent increase in TB and wants to see the provincial and federal governments support initiatives to eliminate the disease. He said isolated First Nations communities hit hard by TB don't have the resources to do it alone, and need help to address a housing shortage made worse by a growing population.

An analysis of national public health data to be released Wednesday by the Assembly of First Nations and Canada's national Inuit group says TB infection rates have been getting worse for years, due largely to factors such as poverty and poor housing. The data suggests TB is 185 times more common among Canada's Inuit, and 31 times worse among all aboriginals than it is among mainstream populations.

"It's really worrisome because our numbers continue to grow," Evans said. "We should be addressing the root of the problem and (governments) really should be out in front supporting us to get the resources we need to deal with it."

-- with files from The Canadian Press

jen.skerritt@freepress.mb.ca

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition March 10, 2010 A4

History

Updated on Wednesday, April 14, 2010 at 7:03 AM CDT:
The number of Manitobans infected with tuberculosis hit a 25-year high last year, not a 30-year high as stated in a March 10 article.

You can comment on most stories on winnipegfreepress.com. You can also agree or disagree with other comments. All you need to do is register and/or login and you can join the conversation and give your feedback.

The Winnipeg Free Press does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. By submitting your comment, you agree to our Terms and Conditions. These terms were revised effective April 16, 2010; View the changes. New to commenting? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions.

WFP Hockey

Download our new hockey app for the iPhone for Winnipeg Jets updates
Editor's Bulletin

Sign up for daily bulletins from editor Margo Goodhand
Winnipeg Jets

All things NHL on our Jets landing page
Twitter

Follow our reporters and our news feeds on Twitter
News Cafe

Check out the menu, read our blog posts or get info on coming events
Facebook Fanpage

Follow our Facebook Fanpage for story links, contests and special events