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Judge rules woman with tuberculosis can leave jail
The woman was released from Pierce County Jail, with conditions
TACOMA, Wash. - A judge has ruled that a woman with tuberculosis who was booked into Pierce County Jail after failing to isolate can be released back to her home.
Judge Philip Sorensen issued an order on Friday that called for the release of the woman in her 70s, but with conditions. She will be able to isolate at home under court supervision, and the county will continue to provide testing and treatment for her tuberculosis (TB).
Since the beginning of this year, the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department (TPCHD) has been monitoring an active case of TB. The patient in this case refused treatment, refused to self-isolate and continued to go to casinos despite knowing she had TB.
TB is curable with medication but if left untreated, results in death. People with active, untreated infections are contagious and represent a risk to others, according to the health department.
Because the woman posed a public health risk, a legal order was sought to put her in a room specifically equipped for isolation and treatment within the Pierce County Jail.
An arrest warrant was issued for her in late February, and she was located and taken to Pierce County Jail on June 1.
Nigel Turner, the director of Communicable Disease Control at TPCHD, told FOX 13 in January that in the last 20 years, they've had to seek legal avenues to get patients into treatment only three times.
Treatment for TB can take up to nine months.
Symptoms of active TB
- Unexplained cough for three or more weeks
- Coughing up blood
- Fever
- Unexplained night sweats
- Unexplained fatigue
- Unexplained weight loss