Woman with killer infectious disease arrested and ‘forced into treatment’

A WOMAN carrying one of the world’s most infectious killer diseases will be arrested this week and forced into treatment.

The unnamed woman, from Tacoma, US, refused to isolate or take medication since being diagnosed with the contagious tuberculosis over a year ago.

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Health officials have said the woman has wilfully violated court orders to isolate, which puts other people in the community at risk of catching the disease.

Tuberculosis is a highly dangerous airborne disease that spreads through prolonged exposure to others.

The illness is serious and can be fatal if left untreated.

In February, court ruled that public health officials were allowed to force her to receive treatment with the contagious condition.

She was also ordered to isolate from December 25 to February 8.

But she abandoned the isolation and treatment plan early.

Treatment for TB usually includes a three to nine-month course of the antibiotics.

Depending on the type of TB infection, the drugs can be used anywhere from daily to weekly.

Now, she is facing an arrest warrant that will force her to enter a medical prison facility where she will forced to isolate, test and receive treatment.

“Most people we contact are happy to get the treatment they need. Occasionally, people refuse treatment and isolation. When that happens, we take steps to help keep the community safe,” Nigel Turner, a Tacoma-Pierce Health Department spokesperson, said.

US authorities reached their breaking point last month when the woman got into a car accident as a passenger.

Her action showed she was not following isolation orders and also put the driver at risk of contracting tuberculosis since they were in a confined space with close contact. 

The woman also visited a hospital where she was examined without telling the medical staff that she had an active tuberculosis case.

Until now, cases of the deadly infection have decreased by about two per cent per year for most of the past two decades.

But cases of the bug are rising again.

According to a report on TB by the World Health Organization (WHO) the disease killed nearly 1.6million people in 2021 – making TB the second leading infectious killer after Covid-19.

This comes as many people were unable to get a diagnosis or receive treatment during Covid lockdowns.

To make matters worse, cases of drug-resistant TB also increased by three per cent between 2020 and 2021, a report said.