Washington state woman with tuberculosis finally arrested to receive treatment in jail

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by KOMO Staff  Thu, June 1st 2023, 5:54 PM EDT

TACOMA, Wash. (KOMO) — A Washington state woman who has been avoiding treatment and isolation for tuberculosis (TB) for more than a year has been arrested so she can receive medical treatment in jail.

Pierce County sheriff deputies located and detained the woman Thursday, according to the Pierce County Sheriff's Department (PCSD). The arrest comes after a judge issued a 17th order in May for the woman to be involuntarily detained for treatment.

The woman was booked into a negative pressure room in the Pierce County jail Thursday where she will get treatment for TB.

The Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department released the below statement on its blog following the woman's arrest: "Law enforcement transported this patient to the Pierce County Jail. She will be housed in a room specially equipped for isolation, testing and treatment. We are hopeful she will choose to get the life-saving treatment she needs to treat her tuberculosis. Thank you to the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department and the deputies who supported public health with this necessary intervention."

The woman has been avoiding treatment for the disease for more than a year.

Court documents released in early April show that the chief of the Pierce County Corrections Bureau assigned an officer to surveil the woman in an attempt to safely get her into custody for her tuberculosis treatment, however the officer found that the woman left her home, got onto a city bus, and went to a local casino.

A judge issued law enforcement a civil arrest warrant to detain the woman for treatment, but Pierce County Sheriff's Department Sgt. Darren Moss previously told KOMO News the woman was refusing to cooperate and the family wasn't helping deputies locate her or turn herself in.

Now that the woman has been detained, she will receive treatment in the Pierce County jail, which is equipped to handle people with tuberculosis.

Moss told KOMO News that tuberculosis used to be common in the jail. "That’s why our jail has negative pressure rooms," said Moss. "Basically what that does is isolate the air within that room so it doesn’t infect the rest of the rooms within the facility.

Officials with the Tacoma-Pierce County health Department told KOMO News this is only the third time in 20 years that they have had to seek a court order to detain a person for tuberculosis treatment.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the treatment for tuberculosis can take three to nine months. People who end treatment early, as the Tacoma woman has, can also develop antibiotic resistance. The CDC also said that the disease spreads through the air when a person with tuberculosis coughs, speaks or sings. The bacteria can then get into the air and people nearby may breathe in the bacteria and become infected.

Health officials in Pierce County said this case is a rare instance as most people with tuberculosis voluntarily seek treatment or isolation.

TB is one of the most common illnesses in the world, with some 10 million new cases every year. The TPCHD, however, only gets reports of about 15 to 25 active cases a year which is part of the 200 cases reported statewide each year.

Under Washington state law, health officials have the authority to seek a court order to persuade patients to comply with treatment. TB is caused by a bacteria that usually attacks the lungs, but the CDC said it can also affect other parts of the body, such as the brain, kidneys, or spine. A blood or skin test can be used to diagnose someone with TB.

The disease is very treatable with the right medication, but it can cause death if not treated. People with active, untreated infections are contagious and therefore, a serious risk to the community.