The virtual elimination of TB in most of Canada reveals we can end the epidemic — if we want to. We just haven’t wanted to with it comes to Inuit communities.
In the 1940s, tuberculosis among the Inuit became a literal stigma: People infected were stamped with “TB” on their hands, a “scarlet letter” signifying that they needed to be separated from society.
They were therefore packed up, and, in a measure reminiscent of the residential schools, were forcibly removed from their homes and families and shipped south, to sanitoria and hospitals.
Many were never seen or heard from again, causing their loved ones enormous anguish. To this day, their fates remain unknown, though many relatives continue to search for information on what became of their family members.
And to this day, the disease remains an epidemic among the Inuit. Banishing people didn’t banish the disease, as the Public Health Agency of Canada reported that Inuit TB rates in 2021 were “comparable to some high TB burden countries.”
For the rest of this editorial: https://www.thestar.com/opinion/editorials/its-shameful-that-canada-has-among-the-lowest-and-highest-tuberculosis-rates-in-the-world/article_e080e962-e78e-11ee-8aff-6f49cc277cad.html