Four cases of tuberculosis have been diagnosed on the Côte-Nord since the beginning of the year, and the public health department of the Côte-Nord wants to curb the outbreak of this disease which began in 2019, just before the pandemic. of COVID-19.
For 4 years, about twenty cases of tuberculosis have been recorded on the North Shore.
This potentially fatal disease attacks the lungs and is transmitted through exposure to microdroplets from an affected person.
To curb the spread, epidemiological investigations are underway, particularly in the community of Uashat mak Mani-Utenam, where 2 cases have been diagnosed.
The main objective is to identify individuals who have had contact with infected people and who can be reached without having symptoms. The public health department is also trying to treat patients with the active form of the disease. Symptoms of tuberculosis are fatigue, fever, loss of appetite and cough, often accompanied by sputum with traces of blood.
“To date, we have had no deaths in our four cases that we have had this year. It is certain that our objective is to find ourselves in a situation where we would have fewer cases of active tuberculosis. And to have fewer cases in the future, it would be necessary that the contacts are evaluated, that people accept the screening tests for the infection and that people accept the treatments that are effective, ”said the director of public health. from the North Shore, Richard Fachehoun.
Cases of tuberculosis are relatively infrequent in Quebec.
Over the past 4 years, the number of diagnosed cases has varied between 236 and 293.
On the other hand, the disease is very widespread on the planet. In 2020, 9.9 million people developed the disease and 1.3 million died from it. In addition, 95% of new cases are in developing countries.
For 30 years, the World Health Organization has considered it a global public health emergency.
Number of TB cases:
2022: North Shore =2 Province of Quebec = 281
2021: North Shore = 2 Province of Quebec = 236
2020: North Shore = 7 Province of Quebec = 241
2019: North Shore = 5 Province of Quebec = 293