Tuberculosis patient faces arrest for failing to comply with treatment

A woman in Tacoma, Washington, has avoided isolation treatment for tuberculosis for more than a year. The Tacoma-Pierce Health Department is now threatening to arrest the tuberculosis patient to force her to either isolate or get treated. The Health Department got a civil warrant. The patient will be arrested if she doesn’t voluntarily comply by Friday.

Tuberculosis is one of the most common illnesses in the world. TB infections usually affect the lungs, and if left untreated, can result in death. People with active and untreated infections are contagious and, according to the CDC, a risk to their community. The Tacoma patient started treatment in late December during an involuntary isolation but then left before it was complete. Because the woman left isolation and is still infected, the Health Department deemed her a health risk to the community.

Nigel Turner, a spokesperson for Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department, said the woman will be arrested on Friday and taken to a specially designated facility in the county jail for isolation, testing and treatment.

“In each case like this, we are constantly balancing risk to the public and the civil liberties of the patient,” Tuner said. “Seeking to enforce a court order through a civil arrest warrant is always our last resort.”

If the tuberculosis patient complies by Friday, the county said they will consider asking the court to lift the arrest warrant. But as of Wednesday, she has not done so and has limited options. She can either isolate and get treated or get arrested and get treated from jail.