Arrest warrant issued for Washington woman who refused TB treatment

A warrant has been issued for a Washington state woman who health officials say is refusing treatment for tuberculosis, according to the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department.

“People can die of TB if they don’t get treatment,” the department said. “And they can put other people at unnecessary risk of getting TB.”

The Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department said the woman refused to take life-saving medication or self-isolate.

The court order will allow law enforcement to detain the woman and take her to an isolation, testing and treatment center, health officials said.

It is rare for the Ministry of Health to take legal action in these cases. Health officials say they try to work with the person first. If that doesn’t work, they reach out to family, friends or people in the community for help.

“This case is only the third time in the past 20 years that the health department has had to seek a court order to detain a potentially infectious patient who has refused treatment for tuberculosis,” the health department said. Tacoma-Pierce County Health.

Tuberculosis is caused by bacteria that can attack the lungs, brain and spine. According to the Centers for Disease Control, nearly 8,000 cases of tuberculosis were reported in the United States in 2021.