Provincial health officials have declared an outbreak of tuberculosis in Edmonton’s core, after lab tests confirmed two inner-city residents shared the same strain of the infectious disease – a level of coordination not seen downtown since the last LRT delay protest.
Primary Care Alberta (PCA) announced the outbreak Thursday, though the agency also admitted the decision was technically made “some time last month,” a phrase that apparently covers any period between last Tuesday and the Cretaceous era. Officials say the matching lab results indicate recent local transmission, or at least that the bacteria had better social skills than most city councillors.
PCA assured the public that it’s “on top of things,” though it did not specify how high that pile of things currently is. In the meantime, residents are urged to remain calm, get tested if concerned, and avoid licking doorknobs – advice many Edmontonians feel should have been standard long before now.
