Fact Sheet – Harper Government helps tackle tuberculosis in Nunavut

[ Press Release 2012-15 ]

The Canadian Institutes of Health Research is funding two new research studies to help address tuberculosis (TB) in Nunavut.

The two studies build on results from a previously funded pilot project from the Public Health Agency of Canada, TAIMA TB (Stop TB in Inuktitut). TAIMA TB was a partnership initiative with the Government of Nunavut, Nunavut Tunngavik (NTI), the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute and the University of Ottawa. Other partners include Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami (ITK), New Brunswick Lung Association and the National Aboriginal Health Organization. The TAIMA TB pilot project was announced by Minister Aglukkaq in January 2011.

Knowledge Translation Project on Tuberculosis in Nunavut

Principal investigator: Dr. Gonzalo G. Alvarez
Research institution: Ottawa Hospital Research Institute (OHRI)
Colleagues on research project: Kristine Hutchison, Natan Obed, Connie Siedule, Heather Colquhoun, Katherine A. Moreau
Funding: $100,000 over 1 year from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)
Project details: The CIHR-funded knowledge translation project will expand and increase awareness of TB through a multifaceted awareness campaign focusing on two communities in Nunavut other than Iqaluit that have increased rates of TB. Partners include the Government of Nunavut and Nunavut Tunngavik Inc (NTI). The research team will engage with local public health teams to focus TB awareness activities with high school students using the tools developed under the TAIMA TB project to further empower community members with TB knowledge in both Inuktitut and English.

Improving tuberculosis diagnosis in vulnerable populations: impact and cost-effectiveness of a novel, rapid molecular assay

Principal investigators: Dr. Madhukar Pai and Dr. Gonzalo G. Alvarez
Research institution: The Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre and The Ottawa Hospital Research Institute (OHRI)
Colleagues on research project: Marcel Behr, Richard Menzies and Kevin Schwartzman
Funding: $350,000 over 3 years from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)
Project details: Recently, the World Health Organization announced its endorsement of a novel molecular test for TB - the Xpert MTB/RIF test, a cartridge-based, completely automated test, which can accurately detect TB and drug resistance in a couple of hours. The research team will conduct the first evaluation of Xpert MTB/RIF in Canada. The research team will evaluate accuracy, reduction in diagnostic and treatment delays, and cost-effectiveness of this novel molecular test for TB. The study is a joint effort between University of Ottawa researcher Dr. Alvarez and McGill University researcher Dr. Pai. The study will be conducted in both Montreal, Quebec, at the Montreal Chest Institute and Iqaluit, Nunavut at the Qikiqtani General Hospital. In Iqaluit, the equipment has now been installed at the Qikiqtani General Hospital and purchased by the Government of Nunavut. The study will generate data that will enable organizations such as the Public Health Agency of Canada and Health Canada and provincial and territorial governments to develop evidence-based Canadian guidelines on this novel TB test.