Tuberculosis (TB): What Canada’s doing

The Government of Canada is committed to addressing:

• TB among affected populations
• the factors that contribute to the spread of the disease, such as:
  • poverty
  • food insecurity
  • overcrowded housing

We're working with provinces, territories, Indigenous governments and other partners to end tuberculosis in Canada and around the world. Our joint efforts focus on 3 key areas:

1. enhancing our efforts to prevent and control TB disease
2. making it easier to identify and treat those at highest risk of latent TB infections
• latent TB refers to those who become infected but don't develop the disease
3. working with partners to address underlying risk factors

We support TB elimination through activities like:

• providing specialized laboratory services for:
  • diagnosis and quality control
  • genetic fingerprinting and analysis
  • drug susceptibility testing
• supporting guidance development, including for the:
  • Canadian TB Standards
  • Canadian Immunization Guide
• monitoring active TB disease and drug resistance trends through the:
  • Canadian TB Reporting System
  • Canadian TB Laboratory Surveillance System
• working collaboratively with Health Canada to improve access to TB drugs
• increasing awareness and education with resources like The Time is Now
• employing and training public health professionals to support TB work across Canada, like:
  • field epidemiologists
  • public health officers
  • laboratory technical and research staff
• providing epidemiological, laboratory and logistical support upon request, including for:
  • outbreaks
  • community-wide screening
• supporting global TB efforts, like:
  • the 2023 United Nations High Level Meeting on TB
  • being a top contributor to global TB funds

Related links

• Canadian Field Epidemiology Program
• Canadian Public Health Service: Become a public health officer
• Bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine: Canadian Immunization Guide
• National Reference Centre for Mycobacteriology
• Tuberculosis Prevention and Control in Canada: A Federal Framework for Action
• The time is now: Chief Public Health Officer spotlight on eliminating tuberculosis in Canada