A tuberculosis outbreak has been declared in central Edmonton, where several cases have been detected among people who live in the inner-city or are homeless and spend their time in the downtown core.
Primary Care Alberta’s tuberculosis (TB) program and the Edmonton zone medical officers of health declared the outbreak of active infectious TB in Edmonton’s inner-city in October, after lab testing confirmed two people with TB who live in the core were infected with the same strain, suggesting recent local transmission.
So far in 2025, PCA said there have been 12 tuberculosis cases identified with connections to Edmonton’s inner-city and the homeless population, which health authorities said is a significant increase over previous years.
Only three of those people were confirmed to have an infection with the same strain of TB and considered a part of the outbreak.
Story continues below advertisement
Tuberculosis is a preventable and curable infectious disease which primarily affects the lungs, but can also impact other parts of the body.
It spreads through the air via coughing, sneezing, or spitting and can be treated with antibiotics.
Get weekly health news
Receive the latest medical news and health information delivered to you every Sunday.
Despite being a preventable and curable disease, the World Health Organization says 1.5 million people die from TB each year – making it the world’s top infectious killer. The bacterial infection is known by several historical names, including consumption and the white plague.
The WHO says TB is the leading cause of death of people with HIV and also a major contributor to antimicrobial resistance.
1:57
Analyzing the risks of tuberculosis
Most of the people who fall ill with TB live in low- and middle-income countries, but TB is present all over the world. About half of all people with TB can be found in eight countries: Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines and South Africa.
Trending Now
-
Could Canada Post workers strike again ahead of holidays? What we know
-
Invest or keep money in cash? 41% of young Canadians opt for latter in TFSA
Story continues below advertisement
About a quarter of the global population is estimated to have been infected with TB bacteria, but most people will not go on to develop TB disease and some will clear the infection. Those who are infected but not (yet) ill with the disease cannot transmit it, the WHO said.
As part of the outbreak response in Edmonton, PCA and provincial medical officers of health are meeting regularly with inner-city agencies and organizations to share information, provide support and carry out assessments and screening for those identified as having close contact.
The outbreak is not considered a risk to the general public at this time, the province said on Thursday.
Contact tracing is being carried out and all exposed people will be contacted by PCA (one of the health agencies spun off from the dismantling of AHS), notified of the exposure and the screening required as part of routine follow-up. Only those individuals contacted directly by PCA are considered exposed.
The province said specific case details will not be shared for privacy reasons.
Anyone with questions or concerns can contact the Edmonton TB clinic at 780-407-4550.
More on Health
More videos
© 2025 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
