There’s news about Tacoma woman who refused TB treatment for months. It’s good this time

A Tacoma woman whose refusal to seek treatment for tuberculosis led to a protracted battle with Pierce County health officials is now free of the disease, those same health officials announced Monday.

“You may remember reading news stories over a year ago about a woman who needed life-saving tuberculosis treatment. We have a happy update: She’s cured!” according to a blog post published by the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department.

“The woman cooperated with Pierce County Superior Court’s orders and our disease investigators. She’s tested negative for tuberculosis (also called TB) multiple times. She gained back weight she’d lost and is healthy again.

“The patient and her family gave us permission to share this update. They are happy she got the help she needed.”

It was a long process to get there, including multiple court orders, the woman’s arrest by sheriff’s deputies and a period of home detention to ensure she complied with treatment plans, The News Tribune previously reported.

The case dates to January 2022 when the health department first sought an order for involuntary detention for quarantine or isolation for the woman, listed in court documents as V.N., as she was not following through with prescribed TB treatment. The court case came to light after The News Tribune discovered court filings following the health department’s announcement of an active TB case in the area.

A civil arrest warrant was issued in 2023, and she was arrested June 1 of that year and held in a negative-pressure room at the Pierce County Jail. She was released about three weeks later to involuntary home detention with conditions that included a court-appointed visitor to check on her status, along with regular medication overseen by TPCHD officials.

Tuberculosis is a lung disease that can be fatal if not treated. It is also contagious.

“State code directs us to prevent the spread of tuberculosis,” the health department wrote in its blog post Monday. “In the unusual situation in which a patient refuses to isolate, we have a legal responsibility to take steps to protect community health. Occasionally, that can include seeking a court order to persuade patients to isolate.

“Seeking a court order is our last resort after we exhaust all other options. It’s a difficult process that takes a lot of time and coordination with other agencies. The situation last year was just the third time in 20 years the Health Department had to seek a court order.”

The stay in jail helped turn the tide, the department reported.

“At that point, she realized how serious her situation was and decided to treat her illness,” according to the blog post. “With her family’s help, our disease investigators earned her trust. She began to take her medication and regained her health over time.

“She is now cured, which means that tuberculosis no longer poses a risk to her health. This also means she is no longer at risk of infecting others.”

This story was originally published July 22, 2024 at 12:51 PM.