Cases of tuberculosis continue to rise in Nunavik

Health officials in Nunavik are organizing a mass screening today for tuberculosis following another outbreak that started this summer.

In the town of Salluit, 25 cases have been reported since June.

• Trading posts brought tuberculosis to Quebec Arctic: study

Nunavik residents are invited to the local health clinic for both a skin test and a chest X-ray.

The director of public health said that those who are sickwill be prescribed medication to be taken for six months.

Health officials in Nunavik are trying to prevent the disease.

People who are carriers of the bacteria and arecontagious aren't always sick or show symptoms so it is important for the town of 1,400 residentsto be screened.

In the last several years, there have been dozens of reported casesof tuberculosisin Inuit communities.

There was a small outbreak in 2013 in northern Quebec including 15 reported cases inSalluit.