Tuberculosis outbreak declared in inner-city Edmonton: Primary Care Alberta

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Provincial health officials have declared an outbreak of tuberculosis in Edmonton’s core, after lab tests confirmed two inner-city residents had the same strain of the infectious disease.

Primary Care Alberta (PCA) issued a news release Thursday that announced the outbreak. But in that release, it stated the decision to declare an outbreak was made some time last month, once the lab results for those two Edmontonians came back.

The results suggest there was recent local transmission, PCA said.

Tuberculosis is an infectious disease that usually affects the lungs, but can affect other parts of the body. It can spread when an infected person coughs, sneezes and spits, but is treatable with antibiotics.

PCA, a newly created provincial agency that handles primary health services, said it has identified 12 tuberculosis cases so far this year that were connected to central Edmonton and people experiencing homelessness.

Three of those people have the same strain of the disease and are deemed part of the outbreak, the health agency said.

Living in communal spaces, including homeless shelters, is a factor that can increase the risk of tuberculosis infection.

The outbreak is not considered a risk to the general public at the moment, PCA said. But contact tracing is ongoing, and potentially exposed people will be contacted by the health agency.

The PCA and medical officers of health from Alberta’s Ministry of Primary and Preventative Health Services are also meeting regularly with “inner-city agencies and organizations” to share information, offer support and to assess and screen people identified as close contacts.