Women Jailed for Refusing TB Treatment Sent Home, Will Have to Take Meds or Else
The long-running saga over a Washington woman’s refusal to get treated for tuberculosis might finally be drawing to a close. The woman was released from a local jail late last week, under the condition that she stay isolated at home and complete her course of antibiotics. Should she fail to do so, she could be arrested yet again.
The Tacoma-Pierce County resident—identified only as V.N. in court documents—has been knowingly infected with the bacterial disease for quite some time. Though she reportedly started antibiotic treatment, she eventually stopped and refused to complete it. Health officials notified the public about her case in January 2023, but only after having obtained repeated court orders compelling her to stay isolated and finish treatment for more than a year.
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After the woman continued to flout these orders, Pierce County Judge Philip Sorenson issued a civil arrest warrant for the woman in late February. She remained on the loose for months, even taking public transportation to visit a local casino. But on June 1, the woman was finally taken into custody by the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department and detained at the Pierce County Jail.
At the time, health officials said that she would be forced to remain at the jail for at least 45 days, staying in a room designed to prevent the spread of potentially airborne infectious diseases. But on June 23, Judge Philip Sorenson issued an order releasing her ahead of schedule, though not without caveats.
According to court documents, the woman has agreed to remain isolated and complete her treatment at home while under close supervision. This supervision will include electronic monitoring and visits by health department workers to ensure that she is taking her treatment as instructed. The only place she will be allowed to visit outside during this time is her doctor’s office, and only with transportation arranged by the health department.
“We will continue to work with her to provide testing and treatment to help cure her tuberculosis,” the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department wrote in its latest update about the case.
Most people infected by tuberculosis bacteria never become sick. But the infection can become latent, and about 10% of these cases will develop symptoms years, even decades later. Acute TB is contagious to others and can lead to severe, life-threatening complications. While no longer common in the U.S., it’s still one of the most dangerous infectious diseases worldwide, killing an estimated 1.6 million people in 2021. One reason why the infection is hard to deal with is that it can take weeks to successfully clear with antibiotics. Some strains of TB are also antibiotic-resistant, complicating treatment further.
The current court order has a time limit of 45 days, but the woman will only be allowed to leave isolation once she has tested negative for tuberculosis three times in a row. Should she fail to comply with these conditions, she will likely once again be found in contempt of the court and be issued a civil arrest warrant.
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