Overcrowding to blame for return of tuberculosis
The early outbreak of H1N1 in remote First Nations communities was national news a few months ago, and an early warning signal for what was to come as the flu spread. But this story chronicles a more insidious, underlying health crisis on northern reserves—tuberculosis. Overcrowding in villages with horribly inadequate housing is a key reason TB persists. A disturbing undercurrent in the story is secrecy. Provincial officials in Manitoba wouldn’t disclose the real extent of TB, citing their fear of annoying Ottawa. But the federal government won’t come clear either.