Los Angeles, Ca
Long Beach declares public health emergency after deadly tuberculosis outbreak
City officials declared a public health emergency Thursday after a tuberculosis outbreak left one person dead and nine others hospitalized.
Health officials said the outbreak stemmed from a group of people who stayed together at a Long Beach hotel room.
As of April 29, 14 cases of tuberculosis (TB) are associated with this outbreak — nine of them required hospitalization and one case was fatal.
Investigators said around 170 people have likely been exposed to the illness. Health officials are in contact with any guests or individuals who were at the hotel during the time the infected people were present.
Tuberculosis is a serious illness that mainly affects the lungs, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The bacteria is spread through the air when an infected person coughs, sneezes or speaks.
“Tuberculosis spreads easily where people gather in crowds or where people live in crowded conditions,” Long Beach health officials said. “People with HIV/AIDS and other people with weakened immune systems have a higher risk of catching tuberculosis than people with typical immune systems.”
“Symptoms of TB disease depend on where in the body the TB bacteria are growing,” the CDC explains. “TB bacteria usually grow in the lungs (pulmonary TB). TB disease in the lungs may cause symptoms such as:
- A bad cough that lasts 3 weeks or longer
- Pain in the chest
- Coughing up blood or sputum (phlegm from deep inside the lungs)
Other symptoms of TB disease include:
- Weakness or fatigue
- Weight loss
- No appetite
- Chills
- Fever
- Sweating at night
Most cases of tuberculosis can be treated with antibiotics. However, those taking medication may need to do so for around six to nine months.
The CDC also notes that not everyone infected with the TB bacteria will become sick. As a result, two TB-related conditions exist — latent TB infection and TB disease.
“People who have been infected but are not yet sick have what’s called latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI),” health officials explained. “People with LTBI can take medication so that they do not later get sick with active TB disease.”
The city’s emergency declaration will “streamline the Department’s ability to quickly secure resources and take additional action to contain the outbreak,” Long Beach officials explained. “The population of concern requires outreach and engagement, necessitating significant staff time to perform multiple interactions. The Department has exhausted their resources to manage this response without an emergency declaration.”
The declaration allows the city to implement preventive measures including:
- Mobilizing City resources
- Accelerating emergency planning
- Streamlining staffing
- Coordinating with other agencies
- Expediting the ability of the City to purchase necessary supplies to identify and treat TB
- Allowing for possible future reimbursement by the State and federal governments
- Raising awareness throughout Long Beach about TB
“The risk of TB for people who live, work, study or visit in Long Beach remains very low,” city officials noted. “The Health Department will continue to screen individuals associated with this outbreak and expects the number of cases and contacts to increase.”
The hotel’s name was not released “to protect patient privacy and comply with HIPAA [Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act] regulations,” officials said.
More information on tuberculosis can be found on the California Department of Public Health’s website or through the CDC’s website.
A man and a woman devastated by the murder of their 4-month-old daughter earlier this week at a Claremont daycare facility are speaking out and demanding answers.
On June 29, officers with the Claremont Police Department responded to the 1400 block of Lynoak Drive around 11:30 a.m. on reports of a medical emergency.
When they arrived, authorities said that they determined a juvenile had thrown the infant to the floor inside the residence.
The baby was initially taken to Pomona Valley Hospital before being transferred to Children’s Hospital of Orange County due to the severity of her injuries, police said.
The baby girl, now identified as Troy May Elaine Cohn, later succumbed to her injuries.
The suspect, who is not being identified because he is underage, was taken into custody at the scene and booked on suspicion of murder at Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall. He has since been charged with murder by the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.
The child’s parents, Jasmyne Cohn and Anthony Owens, believe daycare staff left their daughter unsupervised with the 17-year-old boy arrested in the case.
Cohn said she was at work when she received a call telling her to rush to Pomona Valley Hospital.
“My child had bruises all over her body. Her head was fractured,” she told KTLA’s Rachel Menitoff. “I lost my daughter due to the negligence of this daycare.”
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Troy May Elaine Cohn, 4 months old, of Pomona, was killed after allegedly being thrown to the ground by a 17-year-old boy with autism at a daycare in Claremont on June 29, 2026. (viewer image) -
The parents of a 4-month-old girl believe the owner of a daycare facility in Claremont, seen here, is responsible for their daughter’s death on June 29, 2026. (KTLA)
It is unclear why the teen, who has autism, was at the facility, which is intended for children 8 years old and younger. Cohn and Owens believe he may have been attending the daycare and was being supervised by the owner.
“She drops her off at daycare and then has to meet at the hospital because the baby has been harmed?” Andrea Holcomb, the infant’s grandmother, said. “How does that make sense?”
Baby Troy’s parents say they believe the daycare created a dangerous environment by allowing the teen to be in the presence of defenseless young children.
“He should not have been in a daycare with children,” Cohn said. “Not just my child, any child.”
Owens said he does not know why this happened but wants justice. Both parents say they believe the daycare should be shut down.
A GoFundMe has been organized to help Troy’s parents cover the cost of funeral and medical expenses, as well as the costs associated with seeking justice for their daughter.
The teen was arraigned Thursday and remains in custody in connection with the child’s death.
A juvenile has been formally charged with murder in the death of a 4-month-old infant who authorities say was thrown to the floor inside a Claremont home earlier this week. The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office filed one count of murder against the juvenile suspect after reviewing the Claremont Police Department’s investigation, according to […]
The parents of an 8-year-old boy tragically killed by a large tree that fell in a Calabasas park last year are expected to receive more than $14 million as part of a settlement agreement with the agency responsible for managing the park.
On July 9, Lamar McGlothurn, along with several others attending Camp Wildcraft on the grounds of King Gillette Ranch Park, was struck when a 25- to 30-foot branch weighing about 100 pounds snapped from a tree.
McGlothurn was airlifted to a hospital, where he later died from blunt force injuries, according to the Ventura County Medical Examiner.
An 11-year-old girl with a broken leg was also airlifted to the hospital. A 5-year-old boy suffered head lacerations, a 22-year-old man sustained head and arm bruises, and a 73-year-old man suffered a concussion.
Text messages sent a day before the tragedy by an employee of a tree care company later surfaced, raising concerns about the condition of the tree.
“It is somewhat concerning seeing all the decay at the trunk. It would be wise to thin the canopy and alleviate end weight at a minimum to mitigate risk,” the employee wrote.
A settlement agreement was signed in March, SFGATE reported.
The child’s parents are expected to receive $14.65 million. The bulk of the settlement will be paid by the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority, which manages the park, along with smaller amounts from Camp Wildcraft and Gomez Landscape & Tree Care.
Six other people injured in the incident are set to receive a combined $4.65 million from insurers representing the MRCA, Camp Wildcraft and the tree care company.
In a statement to SFGATE, an MRCA spokesperson said the agency hopes the settlement will, in some small way, bring solace to the McGlothurn family.
“We at the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority cannot fathom the immense loss and tremendous pain the family of Lamar McGlothurn has endured from Lamar’s tragic death,” the statement said.
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