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Message from the Honourable Leona Aglukkaq, Minister of Health
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World TB Day
March 24, 2011
March 24 is World Tuberculosis Day. Despite the availability of effective screening and treatment methods, TB is still a global public health problem. In 2009, 9.4 million new cases and almost 2 million deaths related to TB were reported worldwide.
The Government of Canada continues to work closely with the provinces and territories and other partners to address TB here at home. We also contribute to global TB-control efforts by providing support to areas of international development at the multinational and national levels.
In Canada, Aboriginal populations have higher rates of TB compared to non-Aboriginal populations. As part of our continued efforts to limit the spread of TB in at-risk populations, our Government is renewing programs for First Nations on-reserve and Inuit in Nunatsiavut. We are investing $10.8 million in tuberculosis programs in 2010-2011.
TB is also of particular concern to northern regions. I was pleased to announce funding of over $800,000 earlier this year for a project called Taima TB. This investment will be used to help the Government of Nunavut raise awareness of TB, use new diagnostic techniques to screen for latent TB infection, and provide preventative treatment to individuals in communities with a higher risk of developing active TB.
Over the past decade, the Government of Canada has invested more than $31 million in innovative TB research. Some of this pioneering research includes the work of Dr. Zakaria Hmama and his team at the University of British Columbia, who are working on developing a more effective vaccine against TB.
Canada has also subscribed to the World Health Organization's Global Plan to Stop TB 2006-2015. Our goal is toreduce TB cases by 50% by 2015.
While Canada is well on its way to meeting this target, there is still more work to be done. Every step we take will be a step towards reducing the incidence and burden of TB for all Canadians. I would like to acknowledge the hard work of the organizations and individuals dedicated to reducing TB in Canada and around the world.
Leona Aglukkaq
Minister of Health
Government of Canada
