Latest news with #YassenTcholakov
CBC
2 days ago
- Health
- CBC
Nunavik tuberculosis action plan to be finalized in coming weeks, says health ministry
Quebec's Ministry of Health and Social Services (MSSS) says it's working to finalize a tuberculosis action plan in Nunavik in the coming weeks, while doctors in the region continue to exhaust all efforts to curb infections. Most notably, the plan from the Nunavik health board includes hiring a third-party organization to co-ordinate the logistics of responding to the outbreak — including bringing in extra health-care professionals. Dr. Yassen Tcholakov, the board's interim public health director, says a call for tender for that external agency has been issued. He also insists these aren't just temporary workers they're looking to recruit, and it's not the same as using private agency nurses down south. "A lot of the requirements is for this organization to come with staff that are going to be culturally-trained, that's going to have specific competencies related to Nunavik and have continuity over a long period of time," he said. "So it's not going to be the same thing as someone coming in to fill in a gap for two weeks and getting paid a lot more, having a lot better working conditions." MSSS says it's also created a working group to provide expertise and support the fight against tuberculosis in Nunavik. Tcholakov says the health board is still working to bring in more resources, regardless of the time it will take for the province to finalize their action plan. That includes discussions with the province's medical bodies to reduce barriers for training people locally to do tuberculosis prevention work. "If those negotiations come to fruition, we'll be able to not only offer the care more rapidly, but it's also going to be … be delivered by people within the community that understand, that can explain things in patients' own language," he said. Random cases As of this week, there are 79 cases in the region this year. If the trend continues, Tcholakov worries that 2025 could see a new record of confirmed cases, surpassing the 94 that were reported in 2024. Dr. Sarah Bergeron, a physician with the Inuulitsivik Health Centre, is worried about the number of cases being detected outside of regular testing. "So people that were coming into the health system to get checkups for other reasons … and they need to have a picture of their lungs. Because of that, we were finding tuberculosis out-of-the-blue for those patients that didn't necessarily have symptoms. So that's a sign the crisis is really more out of control," she said. Testing capacity concerns her, especially with many smaller villages lacking basic diagnostic equipment like X-ray machines, resulting in patients having to be sent out of their community for testing and care. Bergeron says they've developed a program where you can use just a single radiographic image, rather than images from multiple views, to detect tuberculosis. However, she says that can cause logistical issues, like housing for technicians to be sent into the community. Increasing clinic spaces for isolated patients is part of the health board's action plan. In 2018, the federal government committed to eliminating tuberculosis across Inuit Nunangat by 2030, and halving rates by 2025. Earlier this year, Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami — a national organization for advancing Inuit rights — said reaching this year's target is now unlikely. Tcholakov looks to tuberculosis prevention efforts in other parts of Inuit Nunangat for inspiration. In the past, Nunavut has made screening and treatment available community-wide for a period of time in places facing outbreaks. Last month, the territorial government declared an end to years-long outbreaks in two communities. "We now have a decade of work to do where we have to go back, offer more screening to the population in order to lower the disease burden to a level where transmission slows down very, very much," Tcholakov said. 'It's treatable' Beyond capacity issues, there are challenges on the ground. Bergeron says it can be difficult to reach people because of phone and internet connectivity, so nurses often have to go door-to-door. "I think part of the answer is to really increase the in-community services so that people don't need to leave their family or leave their job for many days to get tested," she said. But there's also the fear factor, from historical traumas of patients being sent down south for tuberculosis care — and she believes more work needs to be done to connect with people. "We need to reopen that dialogue between the population and the healthcare system and maybe the mayors can also help us with that … because once we have the people in front of us, we can have that dialogue with that individual. But if it's hard to reach somebody in the community [then] we are not able to open that dialogue," she said. Kangiqsujuaq Mayor Qiallak Nappaaluk says her mother was sent down south to a tuberculosis sanatorium in the 1950s. She followed as a six-month-old, and ended up testing positive for latent tuberculosis, but she says that's no longer the reality anymore. Tuberculosis is a curable disease that most often affects the lungs — but it can kill if left untreated. "It's treatable. It's really different than before, and before our grandparents," Nappaaluk said. But to help people come forward, she says tuberculosis care needs to be more accessible, and she says the provincial government needs to help.
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Quebec 'closely monitoring' tuberculosis in Nunavik, minister says, as doctors call for more resources
Quebec's health minister says the province's public health service is "closely monitoring" the tuberculosis situation in Nunavik, in the wake of a letter from the mayors of the region's 14 Inuit communities calling for the declaration of a public health emergency. "We take this situation very seriously," Health Minister Christian Dubé's office told CBC News. "We will continue to follow the recommendations of public health experts on this subject." Public health experts who spoke with CBC News said they are facing resource shortages and need help in order to adequately address the rising numbers of active tuberculosis cases in the region. Six Nunavik communities currently have outbreaks of tuberculosis, and the region is on track to set a grim record for the third year in a row on the number of cases in the region, said Yassen Tcholakov, the clinical lead on infectious diseases for the Nunavik Regional Board of Health and Social Services. "We have rates that are comparable to the countries with the most [tuberculosis]. If you take certain communities in isolation, those rates are comparable to the most dire setting in countries that have extremely minimal health resources," he said. He said tuberculosis, while treatable, kills most infected patients within a few years if left untreated. Those who are treated are sometimes left with lifelong problems like scarring on their lungs. If nothing changes, he expects the number of cases in Nunavik to keep growing. "When I hear people calling for a public health emergency, I hear a cry for help — and an observation that the health system is not reaching the expectation of what the population would like to see," Tcholakov said. In a separate statement to CBC News, the Ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux du Québec said it has mobilized teams to determine the best way to follow up on the requests mayors made on Monday. It said that as of June 7, there have been 56 cases so far this year of tuberculosis reported in Nunavik — even higher than the 40 cases the region's mayors referenced in their letter. Neither the minister nor the department committed in their statements to declaring a public health emergency. The department wrote that it is taking "the time to carefully analyze the situation" before acting. "We are aware that the increase in tuberculosis cases adds to the already numerous challenges [Nunavik] faces regarding access to quality, continuous and safe care and services," the department stated. Faiz Ahmad Khan, a respirologist at the McGill University Health Centre who also works at the health centres in the Nunavik communities of Puvirnituq and Kuujjuaq, said there has been a "chronic shortage" of medical resources in general in Nunavik for years — an issue that also impacts the tuberculosis response. "I think the mayors have raised a very legitimate demand," he said, with regard to the call for a public health emergency. Such a declaration would give health centres the ability to request the resources they need, he said. Khan said resource shortages mean that sometimes entire families have to fly out just to get screened for the disease. In some communities, people also have to fly just to get an x-ray in order to be diagnosed. All of that delays treatment. "Sadly, I'm very worried that there could be more deaths on the horizon from [tuberculosis] — which is totally unacceptable in Quebec in 2025," he said.
CBC
10-06-2025
- Health
- CBC
Quebec 'closely monitoring' tuberculosis in Nunavik, minister says, as doctors call for more resources
Quebec's health minister says the province's public health service is "closely monitoring" the tuberculosis situation in Nunavik, in the wake of a letter from the mayors of the region's 14 Inuit communities calling for the declaration of a public health emergency. "We take this situation very seriously," Health Minister Christian Dubé's office told CBC News. "We will continue to follow the recommendations of public health experts on this subject." Public health experts who spoke with CBC News said they are facing resource shortages and need help in order to adequately address the rising numbers of active tuberculosis cases in the region. Six Nunavik communities currently have outbreaks of tuberculosis, and the region is on track to set a grim record for the third year in a row on the number of cases in the region, said Yassen Tcholakov, the clinical lead on infectious diseases for the Nunavik Regional Board of Health and Social Services. "We have rates that are comparable to the countries with the most [tuberculosis]. If you take certain communities in isolation, those rates are comparable to the most dire setting in countries that have extremely minimal health resources," he said. He said tuberculosis, while treatable, kills most infected patients within a few years if left untreated. Those who are treated are sometimes left with lifelong problems like scarring on their lungs. If nothing changes, he expects the number of cases in Nunavik to keep growing. "When I hear people calling for a public health emergency, I hear a cry for help — and an observation that the health system is not reaching the expectation of what the population would like to see," Tcholakov said. In a separate statement to CBC News, the Ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux du Québec said it has mobilized teams to determine the best way to follow up on the requests mayors made on Monday. It said that as of June 7, there have been 56 cases so far this year of tuberculosis reported in Nunavik — even higher than the 40 cases the region's mayors referenced in their letter. Neither the minister nor the department committed in their statements to declaring a public health emergency. The department wrote that it is taking "the time to carefully analyze the situation" before acting. "We are aware that the increase in tuberculosis cases adds to the already numerous challenges [Nunavik] faces regarding access to quality, continuous and safe care and services," the department stated. Faiz Ahmad Khan, a respirologist at the McGill University Health Centre who also works at the health centres in the Nunavik communities of Puvirnituq and Kuujjuaq, said there has been a "chronic shortage" of medical resources in general in Nunavik for years — an issue that also impacts the tuberculosis response. "I think the mayors have raised a very legitimate demand," he said, with regard to the call for a public health emergency. Such a declaration would give health centres the ability to request the resources they need, he said. Khan said resource shortages mean that sometimes entire families have to fly out just to get screened for the disease. In some communities, people also have to fly just to get an x-ray in order to be diagnosed. All of that delays treatment. "Sadly, I'm very worried that there could be more deaths on the horizon from [tuberculosis] — which is totally unacceptable in Quebec in 2025," he said.
Yahoo
10-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Quebec 'closely monitoring' tuberculosis in Nunavik, minister says, as doctors call for more resources
Quebec's health minister says the province's public health service is "closely monitoring" the tuberculosis situation in Nunavik, in the wake of a letter from the mayors of the region's 14 Inuit communities calling for the declaration of a public health emergency. "We take this situation very seriously," Health Minister Christian Dubé's office told CBC News. "We will continue to follow the recommendations of public health experts on this subject." Public health experts who spoke with CBC News said they are facing resource shortages and need help in order to adequately address the rising numbers of active tuberculosis cases in the region. Six Nunavik communities currently have outbreaks of tuberculosis, and the region is on track to set a grim record for the third year in a row on the number of cases in the region, said Yassen Tcholakov, the clinical lead on infectious diseases for the Nunavik Regional Board of Health and Social Services. "We have rates that are comparable to the countries with the most [tuberculosis]. If you take certain communities in isolation, those rates are comparable to the most dire setting in countries that have extremely minimal health resources," he said. He said tuberculosis, while treatable, kills most infected patients within a few years if left untreated. Those who are treated are sometimes left with lifelong problems like scarring on their lungs. If nothing changes, he expects the number of cases in Nunavik to keep growing. "When I hear people calling for a public health emergency, I hear a cry for help — and an observation that the health system is not reaching the expectation of what the population would like to see," Tcholakov said. In a separate statement to CBC News, the Ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux du Québec said it has mobilized teams to determine the best way to follow up on the requests mayors made on Monday. It said that as of June 7, there have been 56 cases so far this year of tuberculosis reported in Nunavik — even higher than the 40 cases the region's mayors referenced in their letter. Neither the minister nor the department committed in their statements to declaring a public health emergency. The department wrote that it is taking "the time to carefully analyze the situation" before acting. "We are aware that the increase in tuberculosis cases adds to the already numerous challenges [Nunavik] faces regarding access to quality, continuous and safe care and services," the department stated. Faiz Ahmad Khan, a respirologist at the McGill University Health Centre who also works at the health centres in the Nunavik communities of Puvirnituq and Kuujjuaq, said there has been a "chronic shortage" of medical resources in general in Nunavik for years — an issue that also impacts the tuberculosis response. "I think the mayors have raised a very legitimate demand," he said, with regard to the call for a public health emergency. Such a declaration would give health centres the ability to request the resources they need, he said. Khan said resource shortages mean that sometimes entire families have to fly out just to get screened for the disease. In some communities, people also have to fly just to get an x-ray in order to be diagnosed. All of that delays treatment. "Sadly, I'm very worried that there could be more deaths on the horizon from [tuberculosis] — which is totally unacceptable in Quebec in 2025," he said.
