National Tuberculosis Elimination Strategy

The Public Health Agency of Canada, through its  Tuberculosis (TB) Prevention and Control program, is the federal lead in taking action to reduce the incidence rate of TB in Canada to 3.6 per 100,000 by 2015.

The Public Health Agency of Canada is responsible for the overall management of Tuberculosis Prevention and Control in Canada. It is currently in the process of completing the Canadian Tuberculosis Prevention and Control Strategy, due to be completed later in 2011. This national prevention and control programme includes central coordination, monitoring and evaluation, with each province and territory being responsible for developing and implementing control plans that are consistent with Canadian guidelines and protocols. The First Nations and Inuit Health Branch of Health Canada is currently involved in renewing the First Nations component of The Canadian Tuberculosis Strategy.

Through the Canadian Tuberculosis Committee, the Government of Canada remains committed to supporting and working with communities, provincial and territorial health care systems, scientific experts and all TB partners to assist in the reduction of TB by developing scientific, evidence-based advice regarding TB prevention and control in Canada's Aboriginal populations. The Government of Canada has also collaborated with the Global Indigenous Stop TB Initiative in its effort to reduce the burden that TB has on Aboriginal peoples in Canada and around the world.

TB can be cured with antibiotics, and therefore it can be controlled and prevented. The First Nations and Inuit Health Branch of Health Canada contributes to this goal through its National Tuberculosis Elimination Strategyutilized in on-reserve First Nation and Inuit communities. Health Canada is renewing its National Tuberculosis Elimination Strategy with its federal partners, external TB experts, stakeholders and First Nation and Inuit partners, as well as various health authorities and communities. This renewal is to be completed by the end of 2011.

The TB Elimination Strategy was introduced in 1992. National responsibilities include policy-making, care, treatment and surveillance. Activities such as case management, drug supply, outbreak management, and community health education are centralized at the Regional level, and implemented through primary health services at the community level.

The goal of the TB Elimination Strategy is to:

• Support TB reduction in on-reserve First Nations populations by the adoption of the Global Stop TB rate reduction targets of 3.6 per 100,000 by 2015.

The objectives of the TB Elimination Strategy program are to:

• Prevent further occurrence of TB disease and infection
• Prevent the emergence of drug resistance
• Achieve lifetime control of the patient's TB
• Support ongoing program evaluation and information collection to inform policy and strategy enhancement

The TB Elimination Strategy is composed of the following program components:

• Case Finding and Case Holding
• Contact Tracing and Chemoprophylaxis
• Surveillance
• Health Education and Training
• Research

Health Canada is renewing its TB Elimination Strategy and will draw upon lessons learned and reflect current best practices and goals.

Health Canada and its First Nations and Inuit Health regional offices work closely with partners, including the Public Health Agency of Canada, the provinces, local or regional health authorities and communities to support tuberculosis reduction through the application of evidence-based tuberculosis standards, clinical practice and First Nations focused TB research.

Health Canada remains committed to focusing its efforts on renewing the strategy to ensure that the strategy remains reflective of current best evidence-based practice and the latest technologies in TB prevention and control. This process will be conducted while continuing to maintain its high standards for delivery of TB prevention and control with its various partners across Canada.