She Was Jailed for Refusing TB Treatment, Is Now Cured

UPDATE Jul 24, 2024 12:30 AM CDT

The Washington state woman who was jailed after refusing to get treatment for tuberculosis is now cured of the highly contagious disease. The woman, identified only as VN, realized the seriousness of her condition when she was placed behind bars in June 2023 and put in a negative pressure room to prevent contaminated air from flowing outside the room, NBC News reports. She agreed to consent to treatment, and was released from isolation the following month. She has now tested negative for TB multiple times, the county health department says in a statement. "She gained back weight she'd lost and is healthy again," it says. "The patient and her family gave us permission to share this update. They are happy she got the help she needed."

Jun 5, 2023 9:20 AM CDT

A woman in Washington state with the contagious disease of tuberculosis is now in jail after refusing to receive treatment or isolate herself for more than a year. The woman was taken into custody at her home last week and transported to the Pierce County Jail, reports the New York Times. "We are hopeful she will choose to get the lifesaving treatment she needs," says a statement from the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department. The warrant for her arrest, issued in February after a judge found her in civil contempt, stipulated that she would be held until she no longer posed a threat to the public.

The woman has been identified only by the initials VN, and little is known about her other than that she lives in Tacoma, per USA Today. Health officials say they'd been working unsuccessfully with her family to convince her to take medication. TB can be spread through the air from person to person, and a Pierce County Sheriff's Department filing said the woman had been spotted taking a city bus to a local casino even after the arrest warrant was issued. The CDC logged about 8,300 TB cases in the US last year. (More tuberculosis stories.)