Washington
Tuberculosis patient in Washington who was arrested for refusing treatment is finally cured
The Summary
- A Washington woman who was arrested after she refused tuberculosis treatment has finally been cured.
- Local health officials obtained court orders to compel the patient to isolate and take medication, but she repeatedly violated them.
- The Health Department said Monday that the woman had tested negative multiple times.
A Washington state woman who was arrested after she refused for more than a year to consistently isolate or take medication for tuberculosis has finally been cured of the disease.
The Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department said Monday that the woman had tested negative for tuberculosis multiple times and had given officials permission to share an update on her health.
“Because this situation led to a lot of media coverage and discussion in the community, the patient and her family wanted to share the ending of the story,” the Health Department said in a statement.
Indeed, the case drew national attention as authorities pursued months of legal action to prevent the woman from potentially infecting others. Authorities even enlisted her family to persuade her to accept treatment.
“She gained back weight she’d lost and is healthy again,” the Health Department said in its statement, adding that the woman and her family are “happy she got the help she needed.”
Tuberculosis, which is caused by bacteria that attack the lungs or other parts of the body, can spread through the air when a person with an active case coughs, sneezes or speaks.
Up to 13 million people in the U.S. have latent infections, meaning they aren’t contagious and don’t have symptoms. But around 5% to 10% of latent cases develop into active disease if they’re left untreated.
Treatment for tuberculosis usually consists of antibiotics taken daily or weekly for a period of months. During that time, people with active disease must be isolated until they’re no longer infectious.
The Health Department requested a court order in January 2022 to require the woman — identified in court papers by the initials V.N. — to comply with treatment and isolation protocols. Washington state law gives public health officials the legal authority to seek a court order when a person’s refusal to isolate or take medication for tuberculosis threatens public safety.
Over the next year, health officials got more court orders to compel the patient to stay home, but she continued to violate them.
One such violation came to light in a petition the Health Department filed in January 2023. It said V.N. had been a passenger in a car accident and went to the emergency room for chest pain the next day. But she didn’t alert hospital staff members to her tuberculosis infection. X-rays at the ER showed that her tuberculosis was getting worse and that she had also contracted Covid-19.
By February 2023, the Health Department had been to court 16 times to address her noncompliance. A judge then found V.N. in civil contempt and signed a warrant for her arrest — a measure health officials saw as a last resort.
She wasn’t arrested right away, however: In April 2023, V.N. was seen boarding a bus to a casino.
According to a March 2023 filing from the Health Department, the patient’s court-appointed attorney suggested that her client didn’t understand the threat she posed to the community.
However, the department said V.N. had knowingly and willingly violated the court’s orders, adding that she received copies of the orders in English and her native language and that an interpreter had been present at every hearing.
“The only viable course of action to protect public health is to require Respondent to undergo treatment at the Pierce County Jail,” the department wrote.
Officers took her to jail in June 2023. She was held in a “negative pressure” room, which prevents contaminated air from flowing outside.
“At that point, she realized how serious her situation was and decided to treat her illness,” the Health Department said Monday. “With her family’s help, our disease investigators earned her trust. She began to take her medication and regained her health over time.”
Later that month, the judge released V.N. from jail under the condition that she isolate at home with court supervision. By July 2023, she had started to test negative for tuberculosis and was allowed to end isolation.
Her case marked the third time in 20 years the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department had sought a court order to detain someone who refused tuberculosis treatment.
The department said Monday that some patients avoid treatment because of its side effects, the lengthy course and the fact that “it’s not always easy and affordable to isolate.”
Nationally, tuberculosis case numbers have risen since 2020 after 27 years of decline. Disease experts largely attribute the trend to reduced access to medical care during the pandemic, which may have delayed diagnoses.
No new cases have been connected to the woman, said Kenny Via, the Health Department’s media relations manager.
“This was a very unique case,” he said. “We’re happy with where we’ve ended it and where we’re at now. It was a long process to get to this place.”
WASHINGTON COUNTY, Ga. (WJBF) – A man is in custody, charged with Murder in the shooting death of a teenage girl.
Washington County Deputies responded to calls of a shooting at a home on Hagan Circle, Friday night just before 10 p.m.
Once there, deputies located 15-year-old LuVenya Knight lying unresponsive inside the home. Life-saving measures were attempted but unsuccessful. Knight was pronounced dead at the scene.
22-year-old Kermarion Markel Washington of Tennille has been arrested and charged in the case.
Washington is charged with Felony Murder, Malice Murder, Child Molestation, Statutory Rape, Aggravated Assault, and Possession of a Firearm During the Commission of a Felony.
Additional charges may be forthcoming.
Washington is currently being held at the Washington County Jail.
INDIANAPOLIS — IMPD has a new public safety camera downtown to help address crime or deter it altogether.
The technology is up and running at the intersection of W Washington Street and N Illinois Street. It’s the third camera to be installed along Washington Street in the last three months.
“We’ve had a lot of success with our cameras, using them with juvenile mitigation or violence crime reduction efforts to identify those people involved in crimes, and we’ve been able to make arrests because the cameras are there,” IMPD Downtown District Commander Shane Foley said. “If the cameras weren’t there, there’s certain situations we would not be able to make arrests.”
The other intersections that had cameras installed back in March previously had mobile surveillance units in place, but that wasn’t true for the Illinois Street location.
“Washington and Illinois is one of the most travelled parts of downtown and it’s important to have this tool to monitor activity,” Foley said. “We didn’t have a camera at this location at all, so that really emphasizes the importance of this location being added.”
The streams from the cameras are monitored by IMPD’s real-time crime center, but also by officers on the streets. The video can alert officers to incidents before 911 is even called.
“We have five different camera angles, and as you can see here, this can be used for traffic investigations,” Foley said while showing the stream from inside of his car. “If there was a crash or a pedestrian struck, this might help identify a vehicle involved in that incident.”
The Conrad Hotel on the corner paid to put the camera in place, an investment General Manager Ryan Fitzgerald hopes helps officers better secure the area.
”All the men and women that are down here making the city safe, it’s really important to us and we just wanted an opportunity to support that,” Fitzgerald said. “They do all the hard work, so anything we can do to support that effort is in the interest of all of our residents, our team members and our guests.”
Video from the cameras that don’t show criminal activity is thrown out after 30 days. IMPD is hopeful to further secure community partnerships to fund more cameras in the future.
“Ultimately, the goal of these cameras is to make downtown a safer place for people to work, live and visit,” Foley said.
Keagan Smith gives you a preview, prediction and pick for today’s game between the Washington Nationals and Tampa Bay Rays on Friday’s MLB slate.
Did anyone have the Tampa Bay Rays and Washington Nationals competing for the MLB Postseason on their bingo cards? It’s June 19 and both these teams have winning records, but the ways they’ve gotten there are completely different. On Friday evening, this pitching-reliant Rays group squares off against the Nats’ formidable offense, setting up a fun battle at the Trop.
As the new series begins tonight at 7:40 p.m. ET, here’s a betting prediction and pick for this Nationals vs. Rays matchup courtesy of MLB odds and lines on DraftKings Sportsbook.
Nationals vs. Rays prediction, preview
Washington Nationals
The Nats are perhaps the most fun team in the entire MLB this season. With a group of talented young bats, they’ve cruised to a 39-36 record on the campaign with a +15 run differential, also going 6-4 over their last 10 games. The upside of this offense is immense, and if they can get the pitching figured out, we could be looking at a future power in the NL. Washington produces an MLB-best 5.43 runs per game with a .744 OPS that ranks fifth overall. The full slash line reads .247/.323/.421 with a .287 BABIP; tonight, the group faces a RHP with a split of .238/.311/.414 for a .725 OPS against similar handedness. It may be the lower of their splits, but the Nationals do have 73 of their 96 homers against righties. The club’s .174 ISO comes in at fourth in the sport, but a composite speed score of 6.0 also leads all other teams, too. Plus, a 21.0% K% and 8.9% BB% are solid-enough marks.
RHP Cade Cavalli was scheduled to start for the Nats today but has now been scratched due to illness. A new starter is currently TBD, but this section will be updated when the announcement is made. The bullpen’s numbers aren’t great though, sitting 24th in ERA at 4.71 with a 1.42 WHIP and 7.5% K-BB%.
Tampa Bay Rays
The Rays have dropped from the top spot in the AL East after a few rough weeks in June, now sitting 41-30 with a +5 run differential. However, momentum is not on their side after going 4-6 over their last 10 and dropping both of their last two series — one to the Angels and the other to the Dodgers. Their offense is good with 4.44 runs per game, but doesn’t quite have the elite upside of today’s opponent. Tampa Bay has a .713 OPS and a slash line of .255/.333/.379, and the club gets the better of its lefty/righty splits today at .259/.339/.393 for a .732 cumulative mark against right-handed pitching. That’s a positive, as is a BB/K ratio of 0.50 fueled by an MLB-best 19.1% K% and a 9.6% BB%. A .301 BABIP is nice to see, but a .124 ISO and 58 home runs this year leave much to be desired in terms of power. That’s the biggest weakness of this team by far, but they have hit 45 of those off a RHP.
RHP Griffin Jax gets the starting nod for Tampa Bay today. He’s 1-5 across 20 games and nine starts. His numbers include a 3.68 ERA, a 1.36 WHIP and 41 SO in 44.0 IP. He’s forced ground balls at an above-average rate and has seen positive results in terms of chase and whiff rate as well. The Rays’ bullpen has a 4.67 ERA that ranks 22nd with a 1.37 WHIP and 10.9% K-BB%.
Nationals vs. Rays pick, best bet
DraftKings Sportsbook lists the Rays as -126 Moneyline favorites at home today. The Rays are underdogs at +104 odds to win outright with the run total set at eight.
Best Bet: WAS Nationals ML (+104)
A straight-up pick is the move tonight as we target the Nats for an outright win on the road. Here’s the logic. I like the Washington offense far more than Tampa Bay’s, especially as of late. The Nationals have an .840 OPS in the last two weeks with a .221 ISO, though that drops a smidge to .772 and .185 over the last seven days in particular. They’re just as productive as usual though, if not more so. On the opposite side, the Rays are dead last over the last week at a .609 OPS and an .088 ISO, and while their strikeout rate has remained the same as on the full year, the OBP has dropped and they’re hitting a paltry .216. Looking at the last two weeks, they’re still 25th in the league with a .676 OPS as well and below .100 in ISO once again at .097. Jax has been solid as per usual, but it hasn’t translated to wins yet this year and likely won’t against such a high-powered lineup.
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