TB rate more than 30 times higher for aboriginal Canadians: Report

OTTAWA — The rate of tuberculosis among aboriginals in Canada is more than 30 times that of the non-aboriginal population, according to a striking new Health Canada report.

The numbers were released Wednesday and were accompanied by a call from the federal NDP for an emergency debate in the House of Commons to discuss the issue — particularly as it relates to Inuit communities, where the numbers are even worse.

"Tuberculosis is 185 times higher in Inuits than in non-aboriginals," said NDP health critic Judy Wasylycia-Leis.

"Rates of TB . . . are higher than in . . . Third World countries."

The Public Health Agency of Canada released data from its Tuberculosis in Canada 2008 publication, revealing rates of the airborne contagious disease among aboriginals in Canada was 28.2 per 100,000 people, compared to 0.8 for non-aboriginals.

In the territories, the rate among aboriginals was 130.2. The rate among non-aboriginals was zero.

Assembly of First Nations regional Chief Angus Toulouse said the serious issue of tuberculosis in Canadian aboriginal communities is obviously not getting the attention it deserves from the federal government.

"It's out of sight, out of mind," said Toulouse, who holds the national health portfolio at the Assembly of First Nations. "It's not hitting home because they aren't addressing the issue."

TB is an infectious disease that is highly contagious and spread through the air. Experts say it 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.

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.

TB is considered one of the deadliest infectious diseases, particularly in developing countries.

Wasylycia-Leis said the statistics cry out for an emergency national debate on a topic that has not generated enough attention from the government.

"We have to say out loud we have a problem," she said.

House of Commons Speaker Peter Milliken didn't grant Wasylycia-Leis's request for an emergency debate, saying the NDP could raise the matter on one of three opposition days scheduled in the next week.

It's the second report this week to illustrate the problem.

Statistics released by Manitoba on Tuesday showed that in 2009, Manitoba recorded the highest number of cases of TB in a single year since the late 1970s. The number of cases — 156 — is 50 per cent higher than it was four years ago.

Toulouse said there is an urgent need for 87,000 homes on reserves in Canada, where some families live with more than a dozen people in houses built for just two or three.

Toulouse said funding to improve housing is key — but so is education for aboriginal kids.

"The government needs to understand that education is a way out of this so aboriginals can actively contribute to the economy," he said.

A spokeswoman for federal Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq said the government is committed to reducing TB among First Nations and Inuit, has invested significant funding to support the on-reserve management of the disease and is working with provincial and territorial governments to curb the spread.