Two more people have been infected in a tuberculosis outbreak spreading among people experiencing homelessness in Edmonton’s downtown core.
The two new cases confirmed to date this year means a total of five people have become infected in connection with the outbreak, which has been spreading among vulnerable populations in the inner-city for nearly a year.
Provincial health officials formally declared the outbreak in October 2025 after three vulnerable people with ties to the unhoused community tested positive for the same strain of the infectious disease.
In a statement to CBC News, officials with the Alberta government have now confirmed that two additional people have contracted the same strain of the bacterial infection and the cases have been confirmed to be part of the ongoing outbreak.
“While the outbreak remains active, the risk to the general public is low,” said Robyn O’Neill, an Alberta government spokesperson.
“There is no evidence the outbreak has spread beyond Edmonton’s inner-city or to other locations in Alberta.”
While the outbreak is not considered a risk to the general public, agencies including Primary Care Alberta have been investigating each case and managing contact tracing procedures to limit the potential spread.
O’Neill said contact tracing is underway and all individuals identified as having been exposed will be notified and required to undergo additional screening.
Primary Care Alberta and medical officers of health have been meeting regularly with agencies across the inner-city to co-ordinate support and screening, O’Neill added.
Throughout 2025, 12 cases of TB were identified in Edmonton’s inner-city, but only three of those cases are the same strain and have been confirmed as part of the outbreak.
Alberta health officials confirmed that a tuberculosis outbreak in Edmonton’s inner city has spread. As CBC’s Nicole Healey reports, two additional people have contracted TB this year.
Tuberculosis is an infectious disease that usually affects the lungs, but can affect other parts of the body. It can spread when an infected person coughs, sneezes and spits.
Living in communal spaces, including homeless shelters, is also considered a factor that can increase the risk of tuberculosis infection.
Stan Houston, an infectious disease specialist at the University of Alberta, said the outbreak highlights the health challenges facing some of the city’s most vulnerable residents.
The spread of TB is driven by poor general health, lack of primary care access, overcrowded shelters and poor ventilation, Houston said.
He added that people who live on the streets are often dealing with other underlying medical issues, which can also make them more vulnerable to infection.
The disease can be cured with antibiotics but treatment can take several months, a process made even more difficult for patients who are unhoused. Houston said transmission is also a concern, as the disease can become dormant for months, even years, before an infection is reactivated and becomes contagious again.
“I think this is a concerning and disturbing reflection on health conditions in Edmonton,” he said. “TB is historically the poster child of poverty and vulnerable populations.”
While health-care workers have used creative methods to trace and treat cases, he said long-term control of the disease requires addressing root social issues like housing.
“This is fundamentally not a problem that has a technological solution,” he said.
“It’s a problem that has a social solution. And until we address some of those issues better, TB is not likely to go away.”
He said the outbreak is among a series of illnesses, such as shigella, which have had a direct impact on Edmonton’s unhoused communities.
“The general public in Edmonton is not at an immediate risk, but on the other hand, it’s shocking that we are having this 19th century disease among our fellow Edmontonians and TB can be transmitted, through aerosol, to anybody.”
Beth Klingenberg, health services director for the Hope Mission in Edmonton, said the outbreak has had a major impact on the inner-city community.
“This population spends a lot of time interacting with each other, walking around the community, going to various appointments … and each of those people become a close contact that gets investigated,” Klingenberg said.
She said one of the biggest concerns is ensuring patients complete that lengthy treatment when they don’t have a stable place to live and that making those health-care services readily accessible is critical.
“It’s really important to find them a stable place to be. Once this person is not consistently in the shelter or not housed or not in a place where we can find them, the likelihood of them following that treatment is so much harder,” she said in an interview with CBC News.
“It’s about us trying to make this as accessible as possible and making sure we have the supports available the minute that they’re asking for.”
Klingenberg said her staff has been watching closely for telltale symptoms of the illness and helping connect clients with care.
She said the outbreak should prompt compassion and support from the public rather than stigma.
“I think of course there’s a lot of fear and anxiety around this… but this is not something that they asked for,” she said.
“I would love the broader community to recognize that it’s not just another thing to be afraid of from this community. It’s something for us to work together and help with in whatever way.”
