Washington woman with Tuberculosis could be arrested Friday if she continues to refuse treatment
By Web staff
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TACOMA, Washington (KPTV) — In a rare move by the Washington health department, a woman with tuberculosis in Tacoma could be arrested on Friday if she continues to refuse treatment.
A judge issued an arrest warrant for the woman who is refusing treatment last week, FOX 13 Seattle originally reported. While tuberculosis is not easily transmitted, it is considered a serious enough threat to the public that the health department has the legal authority to seek a court order to get patients into treatment, though this is rarely used.
Only three times in the last 20 years has the health department had to resort to legal action.
TB is treatable with medication, but if left untreated, it is fatal. According to the health department, people with active, untreated infections are contagious and pose a risk to others.
Anyone who comes into contact with a TB patient can become infected, but the disease is not easily transmitted.
“We are always hopeful that a patient will choose voluntary compliance in these situations and get the treatment needed to protect themselves and others. We will continue to work through the legal process and all options available,” the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department said in a statement earlier this month.
The health department appeared in court for the 16th time in this case on Friday, Feb. 24. Judge Philip Sorenson found the woman in civil contempt as a “last possible resort” for refusing to comply with his order that she continue to take her medication or voluntarily self-isolate.
According to the warrant, the woman began her treatment but left before it was completed.
The woman will be arrested on or after Friday, March 3, and taken to a “specially designated facility at the Pierce County Jail for isolation, testing, and treatment,” according to the health department.
If the woman complies before March 3, the health department may request that the arrest warrant be lifted. A court hearing has been set for March 2.
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