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 Showing off the new video Stop TB are, from left:, George Tuccaro, narrator of Stop TB; Cheryl Case, communicable disease specialist; and Dr. Andre Corriveau, chief medical health officer. - Daniel T'seleie/NNSL photo |
Daniel T'seleie
Northern News Services
The video gives a description of the disease and outlines the current tuberculosis (TB) situation in the NWT. It also compares past treatments for TB with current medical practices.
Stop TB, which is available in English, French, Dogrib and Gwich'in, has been distributed to health centres, schools, doctors offices and aboriginal organizations throughout the NWT.
"This (video) will help our health centres maintain awareness," said Dr. Andre Corriveau, chief medical health officer for the Department of Health and Social Services.
Stop TB is part of a larger initiative to raise awareness about the disease so cases can be identified and treated sooner.
What is TB?
TB is a disease of the lungs and can be terminal. The number of TB cases in the NWT has been five to 10 times higher than the national average for the last 10 years.
The pathogens that cause TB can remain in a person's body for years without making them sick. Then, when the person's immune system is compromised, the TB becomes active. Studies done throughout Canada indicate one in three aboriginal adults may have dormant TB in their bodies. Active TB can be spread to others through the air by talking, coughing or sneezing.
George Tuccaro, narrator of Stop TB, has experienced the disease personally.
"(The doctor) came to my mom and said 'George is not going to make it through the night.' Here I am, 50 years later, telling the story," Tuccaro said.
He contracted TB as a small child and was lucky enough to recover, though he had to be hospitalized for two and a half years.
From the 1930s to the early 1960s there were lots of people in the NWT infected with TB. Many died from the disease. Treatments in those days were harsh. In the worst cases, people had to have ribs removed, others received a daily needle to the chest.
"Whenever I see a needle, I cringe a bit," Tuccaro said.
These days TB is treated with pills.
