Current:Home > reviewsA woman is in custody after refusing tuberculosis treatment for more than a year -AssetVision
A woman is in custody after refusing tuberculosis treatment for more than a year
View
Date:2025-04-17 03:36:34
A Washington state woman who was diagnosed with tuberculosis has been taken into custody after months of refusing treatment or isolation, officials said on Thursday.
The Tacoma woman, who is identified in court documents as V.N., was booked into a room "specially equipped for isolation, testing and treatment" at the Pierce County Jail, the local health department said, adding that she will still be able to choose whether she gets the "live-saving treatment she needs."
A judge first issued a civil arrest warrant for V.N. in March, 14 months after he'd first approved of the health department's request to order the woman's voluntary detention.
Tuberculosis (commonly referred to as TB) is a bacterial infection that can spread easily through the air. Without treatment, it can be fatal, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Washington state law requires that health care providers report cases of active tuberculosis to the local health department for monitoring.
In Pierce County, the health department says it only sees about 20 active cases of the disease per year, and it works with patients, their families and communities to ensure that infections are treated.
V.N.'s case represents only the third time in the past two decades that a court order has been necessary to execute treatment, the health department said.
Over the course of 17 hearings, health officials repeatedly asked the court to uphold its order for V.N.'s involuntarily detention, which consistently ruled that the health officials had made "reasonable efforts" to gain V.N.'s voluntary compliance with the law.
Officers began surveilling the woman in March, and at one point observed her "leave her residence, get onto a city bus and arrive at a local casino," according to a sworn statement from the county's chief of corrections.
"Respondent's family members were also unresponsive [to] the officer's attempts to contact. It is believed that the Respondent is actively avoiding execution of the warrant," the chief said.
V.N.'s attorney argued that it was unclear whether her client willfully and intentionally defied the court's first few orders for treatment or isolation, according to a March report from NPR member station KNKX.
The attorney did not immediately respond to NPR's request for comment, and the court records cited by KNKX have since been sealed by the judge.
According to the news outlet, V.N.'s attorney cited "past behavior and interactions" that suggested V.N. may not have fully understood the significance of the proceedings and had "not acknowledged the existence of her own medical condition."
The attorney also argued that the Pierce County Jail did not meet the state's legal standards for long-term treatment of a tuberculosis patient, KNKX reported.
V.N. is being detained in a "negative pressure room," the Pierce County Sheriff's Department said in a statement shared with NPR. Such rooms are designed to restrict airflow in order to prevent the spread of disease.
The sheriff's department said V.N. was taken into custody at her home, without incident, and transported to the facility in a vehicle that blocked airflow between the cabin and backseat.
She is not facing criminal charges at this time, the department confirmed.
The court order authorizing her arrest says V.N. will be held in quarantine for no more than 45 days. She could be released earlier if medical tests "conclusively establish that she no longer presents a threat to public health," the judge said.
Tuberculosis cases have steadily declined in the U.S. since the 1990s, with only 7,882 cases reported in 2021, the latest year for which the CDC has released data.
In the late 1800s, tuberculosis killed one out of every seven people in the United States and Europe, according to the CDC.
veryGood! (5)
Related
- Tom Holland's New Venture Revealed
- Zoo animals got quiet, exhibited nighttime behavior during total solar eclipse
- Did you look at the solar eclipse too long? Doctors explain signs of eye damage
- Why Louis Tomlinson Is No Longer Concerned About Harry Styles Conspiracy Theories
- DeepSeek: Did a little known Chinese startup cause a 'Sputnik moment' for AI?
- Maps show where trillions of cicadas will emerge in the U.S. this spring
- Connecticut joins elite group of best men's NCAA national champs. Who else is on the list?
- What is Eid al-Fitr? What to know about the Muslim holiday at the end of Ramadan
- Friday the 13th luck? 13 past Mega Millions jackpot wins in December. See top 10 lottery prizes
- Across the US, Awe Unites During the Darkness of a Total Solar Eclipse
Ranking
- Meet first time Grammy nominee Charley Crockett
- Driver wounds Kansas City officer after grabbing gun during traffic stop
- Bachelor Nation’s Trista Sutter Shares Update on Husband Ryan Sutter's Battle With Lyme Disease
- Former hospital IT worker pleads guilty to 3-decade identity theft that led to his victim being jailed
- Working Well: When holidays present rude customers, taking breaks and the high road preserve peace
- Tennessee lawmakers seek to require parental permission before children join social media
- Retired Venezuelan general who defied Maduro gets over 21 years in US prison
- Woman claiming God told her to go on shooting spree because of solar eclipse shoots drivers on Florida interstate, police say
Recommendation
DoorDash steps up driver ID checks after traffic safety complaints
Solar flares reported during total eclipse as sun nears solar maximum. What are they?
Out of the darkness: Babies born and couples tie the knot during total eclipse of 2024
Mel B Reveals Why She Got Kicked Out of the Spice Girls Group Chat
North Carolina trustees approve Bill Belichick’s deal ahead of introductory news conference
NAIA, governing small colleges, bars transgender athletes from women's sports competitions
Jason Derulo, Jamie Lee Curtis, 'The Office' cast, more celebs share total eclipse 2024 selfies
Calvin Harris’ Wife Vick Hope Admits She Listens to Taylor Swift When He’s Gone