Author profile
Victoria J. Cook, MD, FRCPC
Despite being both preventable and curable, tuberculosis (TB) remains one of the top 10 causes of death worldwide and is the leading cause of death from a single infectious agent.[1] In 2017, an estimated 10 million... Read More
Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease that typically affects the lungs and is spread from person to person through the air by droplets expelled when coughing or sneezing. This disease poses a global public health... Read More
In June 2012 the province’s health authorities, the BCCDC, and the Ministry of Health, through the Communicable Disease Policy Committee, released the BC Strategic Plan for Tuberculosis Prevention, Treatment and Control... Read More
The incidence of TB in Canada’s foreign-born population has decreased annually since 1970. The proportion of foreign-born cases, however, has risen and now accounts for 66% of TB cases in Canada.[1] This rising... Read More
World Tuberculosis Day, recognized on 24 March of each year, raises public awareness about tuberculosis (TB). The global TB epidemic causes several million deaths per year, mostly in the developing world where HIV... Read More
Drug resistance represents a significant global challenge to tuberculosis control efforts. Approximately 50 million people worldwide are infected with drug-resistant tuberculosis strains, though not all will develop... Read More
The standard test for latent tuberculous infection is the tuberculin skin test (TST) using purified protein derivative (PPD). It is among the oldest diagnostic tests in medicine, introduced in 1908 by Robert Koch, who... Read More
Tuberculosis control for aboriginal persons living on reserve in British Columbia (BC) is administered out of the BC Centre for Disease Control through Tuberculosis Services for Aboriginal Communities, in partnership... Read More
Guidelines for TB contact investigation are based upon expert opinion and follow the standard concentric circle approach.[1] Extensive amounts of information are collected as a result of these activities. Recent... Read More
Preventive options for tuberculosis (TB) consist of treatment of latent tuberculous infection (LTBI) or immunization with Bacille Calmette-Guèrin (BCG). BCG vaccine is an attenuated strain of Mycobacterium bovis... Read More