Description: It is estimated that 25% of the global population has tuberculosis (TB) infection. While rates of TB disease had been on the decline in North America, more recently rates have been increasing due to pauses in TB control programs during the COVID-19 pandemic and in the setting of changing demographics. In order to meet United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, improved screening for TB infection is needed. This webinar will review the role of TB screening and discuss the utility of the interferon-gamma release assay (IGRA). Atlantic Canadian data and research will be reviewed to highlight the relevance of the IGRA.

Start date: Upon registration

Completion: Up to 52 weeks

At the end of this webinar you will be able to:

• Describe the difference between tuberculosis infection and tuberculosis disease.
• Describe the importance of targeted screening for tuberculosis infection.
• Describe the role of the interferon-gamma release assay in screening for tuberculosis infection.

Speaker: Duncan Webster, MA, MD, FRCPC

Duncan Webster began his undergraduate studies at Mount Allison University where he received his BSc in chemistry, biology and physics and BA (honours) in philosophy and religion before completing a Masters in Philosophy at UNB. He went on to obtain his MD at Dalhousie University and subsequently completed his Internal Medicine residency training and Infectious Diseases fellowship at the University of Alberta. Following this, he returned to the Maritimes where he completed further fellowship training in Medical Microbiology at Dalhousie University. He has worked as an Infectious Diseases consultant and Medical Microbiologist in his hometown of Saint John since 2007.

Recorded: June 22, 2024

PEP hours: 1.0

CPS credits: 0

*Note: PEP hours and/or CPS credits will only be awarded upon successful completion of the quiz.