Christine Kay
Northern News Services

Iqaluit (Oct 21/02) - School screening for tuberculosis will be stepped up in Nunavut.

Every year for the past several years, children in kindergarten and Grade 6 have been getting the test. This year another grade will be added to the list.

"The age group of 15 to 19 seems to have a high incident rate so we will be screening either Grade 9 or 10 in the future," said Nunavut's tuberculosis consultant, Priya Gaba.

Screening is done in the form of a skin test. A nurse pricks the skin on the inside of a person's arm with a substance called tuberculin. If the skin becomes hard within two to three days, the test is positive.

The incidence rate for tuberculosis in Nunavut is 17 times higher than the Canadian average and growing.

In 1999, Nunavut's rate was a little more than 100 people out of 100,000. Saskatchewan's tuberculosis rate was a distant second with 11.3 cases per 100,000.

Tuberculosis is a disease that can affect the lungs, kidneys, spine and other parts of the body.

It is spread through day-to-day contact with someone who is infected with TB. It is also spread through the air when someone coughs or sneezes.

It's possible to be infected with TB and not get sick, however. The germs can remain inactive for years inside the human body.

The disease and subsequent illness becomes apparent when the TB germs become active. This often happen when a person's immune system is weakened by some other malady.

Gaba said to prevent the spread of tuberculosis, the Department of Health recommends good ventilation and not smoking in the home.

"It has been a concern for a very, very long time," said Gaba.

The good news, according to Gaba, is that the disease is preventable and curable. The treatment is in the form of a pill and lasts from six to nine months.