Joint Message from the Federal Ministers of Health, Indigenous Services and Northern Affairs On World Tuberculosis Day - March 24, 2022

March 24th marks World Tuberculosis (TB) Day, an annual campaign led by the World Health Organization to raise awareness of one of the world’s most devastating infectious diseases still affecting individuals, families and communities in Canada. The goal of World TB Day is to highlight the worldwide commitment to eliminate TB and ensure equitable access to prevention, treatment and care for this disease.

March 24, 2022 | Ottawa, Ontario | Public Health Agency of Canada

March 24^th marks World Tuberculosis (TB) Day, an annual campaign led by the World Health Organization to raise awareness of one of the world's most devastating infectious diseases still affecting individuals, families, and communities in Canada. The goal of World TB Day is to highlight the worldwide commitment to eliminate TB and ensure equitable access to prevention, treatment and care for this disease.

Today, we reaffirm Canada's commitment to end the worldwide TB epidemic, along with other nations, as set out by the United Nations. While overall rates of TB in much of Canada are low, the disease continues to disproportionately affect Indigenous Peoples and at-risk populations.

Overall incidence rates of active TB have been stable in Canada over the past decade (at a rate of 4.7 per 100,000 in 2020). However, newly released national TB data continues to illustrate the persistence of high rates of TB in individuals born outside Canada (at a rate of 14.3 per 100,000 in 2020) and among Indigenous populations (at a rate of 12.7 per 100,000 in 2020), and specifically Inuit (at a rate of 72.2 per 100,000 in 2020). We need a collective, collaborative multi-sectoral approach to eliminate TB and reduce the burden of this disease.

While progress has been made, more work must be done to address the unacceptably high rates of TB in Indigenous communities across Canada. That is why the Government of Canada continues to work together with Indigenous partners and organizations to accelerate efforts to eliminate this disease, including work to improve the social determinants of health, such as housing, food security, income, and access to culturally-appropriate health care. We also continue to collaborate with Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami (ITK) to eliminate TB across Inuit Nunangat.

Improved access to rapid screening and diagnostic tests, combined with timely and effective treatment plans, can help further prevent illness and the risk of potential transmission to others. As such, we are working to support the deployment and use of effective screening and treatment technologies.

Since April 2018, the Government of Canada has supported over 360 adult TB treatment courses in Indigenous communities, and we continue to maintain a supply of rifapentine to treat latent TB infection. Furthermore, through the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Government of Canada has invested approximately $30M over the last five years to support TB research – from the development of new treatments to using technology to predict and stop the spread of TB in Canada.

As part of our ongoing efforts to reduce the incidence of TB in Canada, the federal government continues to work collaboratively with all partners to improve national surveillance of active TB disease and drug-resistant TB. On June 22, 2021, the Government of Canada released the Canadian Indicator Framework for the Sustainable Development Goals Hub, including Indigenous-specific data and indicators, such as the incidence of TB in Inuit Nunangat.

We are encouraged by the research and collaborative activity among scientists, health professionals, and community members across the country committed to ending TB. We appreciate the hard work of the many individuals, governments, and organizations working to improve awareness, prevention, detection, and treatment of this preventable disease.

Visit Canada.ca/Tuberculosis to learn more about TB and how you can help address it.

The Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos, P.C., M.P.
Minister of Health

The Honourable Patty Hajdu, P.C., M.P.
Minister of Indigenous Services Canada

The Honourable Daniel Vandal, P.C., M.P.
Minister of Northern Affairs

Contacts