Pierce County woman detained for tuberculosis treatment cured

PIERCE COUNTY, Wash. — A Pierce County woman who deputies detained for her refusal to quarantine and seek tuberculosis treatment has finally been cured after a year of working with health officials.

In January of 2023, the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department (TPCHD) sent an alert that they were monitoring an active case of tuberculosis in Tacoma. Officials and her family attempted to persuade her to receive treatment, but she declined.

In March of 2023, a judge issued a civil arrest warrant for the woman, allowing law enforcement to arrest her for refusing treatment. TPCHD says this was only the third time in 20 years that they had to seek a court order to detain a potentially contagious person who refused treatment for TB.

In April of 2023, a Tacoma police officer watched the woman get on a city bus and visit a casino, as she continued to ignore the court order.

Finally, in June of 2023, the woman was taken into custody at home. She was put into a car with a separate cabin where the air would not affect the two deputies who brought her in, and taken to a Pierce Jounty Jail isolated clinic. Later that month, she was granted permission to isolate at home under court supervision.

TPCHD reaffirmed that seeking a court order was their last resort, but state code directs them to prevent the spread of TB and they have a legal responsibility to protect community health.

Tuberculosis is contagious and can be fatal, but isolation is difficult and the treatment can have side effects. The woman had already refused to isolate or take life-saving medication for over a year when she was finally detained.

According to TPCHD, after she had been arrested, she realized how serious her situation was and decided to treat her illness. With her family’s help, TPCHD disease investigators earned her trust, and she finally began to take medication and regain her health over time.

In July of 2023, all parties agreed to a court order with conditions to end isolation and electronic home monitoring for the woman. She tested negative in three consecutive acid-fast bacillus (AFB) tests, meaning she was no longer infectious, but health officials said they would continue to work with her to provide treatment and testing to help cure her tuberculosis.

A year later, in July 2024, she was finally declared cured and health officials said the disease no longer posed a risk to her health or others.

The Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department commended people and agencies across Pierce County for working together to reach this outcome, including caseworkers, lawyers, law enforcement, and a judge.

The woman and her family told TPCHD they wanted to share the ending of this story since it had garnered so much community and media attention, with TPCHD adding, “They are happy she got the help she needed.”

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