Tuberculosis patient from Washington who was arrested for refusing treatment is cured

A Washington state woman who was arrested after refusing to consistently isolate herself or take medication for tuberculosis for more than a year has finally been cured of the disease.

The Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department said Monday that the woman had tested negative for multiple tuberculosis tests and that she had given authorities permission to share updated information about her health.

“As this situation has generated extensive media coverage and discussion in the community, the patient and her family wanted to share the end of the story,” the health department said in a statement.

In fact, the case attracted national attention as authorities took legal action for months to prevent the woman from infecting others. Authorities even asked her family to persuade her to seek treatment.

“She has regained the weight she lost and is healthy again,” the Ministry of Health said in a statement. The woman and her family are “glad that she received the help she needed.”

Tuberculosis is caused by bacteria that attack the lungs or other parts of the body. It can spread through the air when a sick person coughs, sneezes or talks.

As many as 13 million people in the United States have latent infections, meaning they are not contagious and do not show symptoms. But about 5 to 10 percent of latent cases develop into active disease if left untreated.

Treatment for tuberculosis usually consists of antibiotics taken daily or weekly for several months, during which time people with active disease must be isolated until they are no longer contagious.

The Department of Health sought a court order in January 2022 to require the woman – identified in court documents by the initials VN – to adhere to treatment and isolation protocols. Washington state law gives public health officials the legal authority to seek a court order if a person’s refusal to isolate or take anti-tuberculosis medications endangers public safety.

Over the course of the following year, health authorities obtained further court orders forcing the patient to stay at home, but she continued to ignore them.

One such violation came to light in a petition filed by the Ministry of Health in January 2023. It stated that VN was a passenger in a car accident and went to the emergency room the next day with chest pains. However, she did not alert hospital staff to her tuberculosis infection. X-rays taken at the emergency room showed that her tuberculosis was worsening and that she had also contracted Covid-19.

By February 2023, the health department had gone to court 16 times to challenge her non-compliance. A judge then found VN in civil contempt and signed a warrant for her arrest – a measure that health authorities considered a last resort.

However, she was not arrested immediately: In April 2023, VN was seen boarding a bus to a casino.

According to a March 2023 motion filed by the health department, the patient’s court-appointed attorney stated that her client did not understand the threat she posed to the community.

However, the agency said VN knowingly and willingly disregarded the court’s orders, adding that she received copies of the orders in English and her native language and that an interpreter was present at each hearing.

“The only practical course of action to protect the public health is to require the defendant to undergo treatment at the Pierce County Jail,” the department wrote.

In June 2023, officials took her to prison. She was held in a room with “negative pressure” that prevents contaminated air from flowing out.

“At that point, she realized how serious her situation was and decided to seek treatment for her illness,” the health department said on Monday. “With the help of her family, our investigators gained her trust. She began taking her medication and over time she recovered.”

Later that month, the judge released VN from prison on the condition that she isolate at home under court supervision. In July 2023, her tuberculosis test was negative and she was allowed to end isolation.

Her case marked the third time in 20 years that the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department had requested a court order to detain a person who refused tuberculosis treatment.

The department said on Monday that some patients are avoiding the treatment because of the side effects, the long duration and the fact that “isolation is not always easy or affordable.”

At the national level, tuberculosis case numbers have been rising again since 2020 after 27 years of decline. Experts attribute the trend mainly to limited access to medical care during the pandemic, which may have led to delayed diagnoses.

There are no new cases linked to the woman, said Kenny Via, spokesman for the Ministry of Health.

“This was a very unique case,” he said. “We are happy with the outcome and the state of affairs. It has been a long process to get to this point.”