Tacoma woman with tuberculosis found in contempt of court after refusing treatment
By Paradise Afshar, CNN
A Washington state woman who has refused to isolate or get treatment for tuberculosis for more than a year was found in contempt of court Friday.
“Law enforcement has the civil arrest warrant that authorizes them to detain the patient who is still refusing treatment,” the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department said Friday.
Pierce County Superior Court Judge Philip Sorenson signed an order of contempt and an order for involuntary detention, testing and treatment.
Tuberculosis is spread through the air from one person to another, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
If not treated properly, TB can be fatal, the CDC says.
The woman will be held in Pierce County Jail for up to 45 days for testing and treatment until she is no longer a threat to public health, court documents say
She was not in court Friday, according to the minutes of the proceeding.
The Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department said this case is a “rare instance” of a patient refusing care, and that it has worked with the family and community for more than a year to persuade the woman to take her medication.
This is the third time in 20 years that the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department has sought a court order to detain a potentially contagious patient refusing treatment for TB, according to the department.
CNN has reached out to the woman’s attorney.
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CNN’s Katherine Dillinger contributed to this report.
