Health minister announces money to fight Nunavut TB

Canada's health minister was in Iqaluit Thursday to announce new money for tuberculosis research in Nunavut.

Leona Aglukkaq hopes it’s the beginning of the end for the respiratory affliction.

"Tuberculosis is a health problem that's been with us for far too long, especially here in Nunavut," she said. "By making people more aware of TB, and being able to diagnose it more quickly, we are taking important steps to fighting tuberculosis."

There were 100 cases diagnosed in the territory in 2010.

Aglukkaq announced $100,000 for a multi-faceted TB awareness campaign in two Nunavut communities.

The federal government is also spending $350,000 to evaluate a state-of-the-art machine that could give tuberculosis test results in a matter of hours.

The hope is that these projects will help reduce Nunavut's TB rate, which is among the highest in the country.