The Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department is monitoring a case of active tuberculosis (TB) in a woman in Tacoma, who is currently declining treatment. FOX13
TB is curable with medication but if left untreated, results in death. People with active, untreated infections are contagious and represent a risk to others, according to the health department. , but TB is not easily spread-- you need to be in a closed space for an extended amount of time with the infected person.
The health department says it is currently working with the woman and her family to persuade her to get treatment to cure her TB. The department did not specify why the woman is refusing treatment. "Most people we contact are happy to get the treatment they need," said Nigel Turner, division director of Communicable Disease Control. "Occasionally people refuse treatment and isolation. When that happens, we take steps to help keep the community safe."to get patients into treatment, though it's rarely been done, Turner said.
Turner told FOX 13 that in the last 20 years, they've only had to turn to legal avenues three times. "We can ask for assistance in the implication of the orders and ultimately request detention," Turner said. "A legal court order that requires people to take the court order or isolate in jail."Healthcare providers are required by law to report all cases of TB to the local health department, according to
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