IQALUIT - With $800,000 from the federal government, health officials in Nunavut are getting ready to launch a public education campaign to help prevent the spread of tuberculosis.

Nunavut MP and federal health minister Leona Aglukkaq answers questions about the territory's new tuberculosis prevention program on Jan. 13 in Iqaluit. The federal government contributed $800,000 to the program. - Emily Ridlington/NNSL photo

Called Taima TB, meaning "Stopping TB" in English, the campaign will involve door-to-door diagnoses, town hall meetings, focus groups and the use of social media to help spread the word and educate Nunavummiut on how to manage and prevent the disease.

"TB has had a profound impact on individuals in our communities. Too many families have lost loved ones to this disease," said Leona Aglukkaq, MP for Nunavut and federal health minister at a press conference in Iqaluit on Jan. 13.

The Government of Nunavut is partnering with Nunavut Tunngavik Inc., Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami and the National Aboriginal Health Organization for the project.

Nunavut has a tuberculosis rate 62 times higher than the national average and the Nunavut Department of Health and Social Services reported in late December that in 2010 there were 100 new cases of tuberculosis reported.

According to information from Health Canada, tuberculosis is a serious disease that usually attacks the lungs, but can also affect other parts of the body, including the lymph nodes, kidneys, urinary tract and bones. It's spread through coughing and sneezing and is completely curable with antibiotics.

While the program is only going to be launched in Iqaluit for the time being, health minister Tagak Curley said this program is positive for those especially in the communities.

"The latest information that most Nunavummiut have is 60 years old," he said.

During the 1950s and 1960s, those with tuberculosis would be sent south for treatment.

"People were leaving the communities and not coming back," Aglukkaq said.

Part of NTI's involvement, as president Cathy Towtongie put it, is to "ensure the project will be undertaken in a culturally appropriate manner."

Also on board is Dr. Gonzalo Alvarez, a consultant respirologist for Nunavut. He told reporters and health officials in attendance at the press conference that the awareness campaign will include the use of social media websites such as Facebook to get the message across to the public.

A door-to-door campaign will follow where community members, who will be educated on the subject, will visit residents to provide information on prevention, diagnosis and treatment.

We welcome your opinions. Click here to e-mail a letter to the editor.