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Comparing contact investigations of tuberculosis cases among the Canadian Born Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal population in Alberta, Canada

  • Author / Creator
    Eisenbeis, Lisa M
  • It is well established that the rates of tuberculosis (TB) among Aboriginal Peoples in Alberta are disproportionately higher than those in the Canadian-born 'other' population group (Jensen, Lau, Langlois-Klassen, et al., 2012). In addition, Aboriginal Peoples living on-reserve have higher rates still than those Aboriginal Peoples living off-reserve. Multiple factors likely contribute to this ongoing disparity. One possible reason for the difference in rates between these population groups is the relative success of contact investigations (CI) for source cases from these groups. This possibility has not been addressed systematically in the literature. A contact investigation is the activity undertaken to find and assess individuals who have come into contact with an infectious or potentially infectious TB case. The aim of CI is to identify secondary cases as well as those latently infected individuals who have not yet progressed to disease and in whom disease may be prevented. There are multiple types of contact investigations, including the concentric circle approach which has been used in the Province of Alberta, Canada. Contact investigation is widely accepted as a high-priority activity for TB programs in low incidence areas. Herein I describe a 10-year retrospective study of the contact investigation activities of adult (>14 yrs), Canadian-born, culture positive pulmonary TB cases in Alberta to identify: 1) differences in the outcomes of those activities among Aboriginal Peoples living on and off-reserve, as compared to Canadian-born 'others'. It is anticipated that any differences found between these groups will shed light on the potential for improvement of contact investigation in Alberta specific to the population group of the source case, and 2) to determine predictors of successful CI in each population group. This knowledge has the potential to provide guidance for TB programs based on those predictors.

  • Subjects / Keywords
  • Graduation date
    Spring 2015
  • Type of Item
    Thesis
  • Degree
    Master of Science
  • DOI
    https://doi.org/10.7939/R3334B
  • License
    This thesis is made available by the University of Alberta Libraries with permission of the copyright owner solely for non-commercial purposes. This thesis, or any portion thereof, may not otherwise be copied or reproduced without the written consent of the copyright owner, except to the extent permitted by Canadian copyright law.
  • Language
    English
  • Institution
    University of Alberta
  • Degree level
    Master's
  • Department
  • Specialization
    • Experiemental Medicine
  • Supervisor / co-supervisor and their department(s)
  • Examining committee members and their departments
    • Verma, Geetika (Medicine)
    • Yacoub, Wadieh (Medicine)
    • Meardi, Melanie (Nursing)