Nain residents encouraged to get screened for TB

November 14, 2018

The Nunatsiavut Department of Health and Social Development, in collaboration with Labrador-Grenfell Regional Health Authority (LGH), today launched a campaign aimed at encouraging residents of Nain, who have yet to do so, to get screened for tuberculosis.

“By choosing to be screened you are playing a major role towards eliminating TB in the community,” says Nunatsiavut’s Director of Health Services, Sylvia Doody. “TB can be prevented, but doing so takes a collaborative approach that involves the whole community.”

The expanded community-wide screening initiative focuses primarily on residents who have not been screened following the death of a 14-year-old youth in March 2018.

“It’s an unprecedented effort to contribute to the elimination of TB in the community and to help prevent future outbreaks”, says Dr. Gabe Woollam, LGH’s Vice-President of Medical Services. “As is the case in other Inuit regions in Canada, TB rates in Nain are far too high and steps must be taken to reduce the number of cases and prevent the spread of the disease. The enhanced community testing is an effort to do just that.”

A public meeting was held in Nain last evening to provide an overview of the plans to increase awareness of TB, and to outline what steps are being taken to screen as many residents as possible.

Additional human resources will be mobilized to the community as part of the expanded screening initiative, which will continue as long as necessary to minimize further threat of TB.

Media Contacts:

Bert Pomeroy
Director of Communications
Nunatsiavut Government
(709) 896-8582

Amanda MacNeil
Regional Director of Communications
Labrador-Grenfell Regional Health Authority
(709) 897-3102

NT5