Tuberculosis in Canadian Eskimos

The tuberculosis rates among Canadian Eskimos are among the highest in the world, in the period 1967 to 1969, the average annual incidence was 131 cases per 10,000 while the corresponding rate for all Canadians was just over 2 per 10,000. The rates are highest in eastern Arctic where the peak incidence occurs in young women and reaches almost 4% per annum. The risk of developing tuberculosis is very high in all epidemiological groups such as inactive cases, positive tuberculin reactors with normal chest x-ray film, and even BCG-vaccinated individuals.