Long Beach, California has declared a public health emergency after one person has died amid an outbreak of tuberculosis (TB). Tuberculosis is a contagious disease that can spread within families, households, and communities.
As health officials try to better combat this deadly outbreak, they have decided to declare this public health emergency to warn the public what is going on.
Tuberculosis Outbreak in Long Beach
During the first week of May, health officials in Long Beach, California revealed that they had a tuberculosis outbreak on their hands. Unfortunately, this outbreak has already resulted in one death.
Because of this death, Long Beach’s health officials have decided to declare a public health emergency as they try to help those who may have been infected.
14 Cases So Far
Thus far, officials have stated that only 14 other people have gotten this disease. Of these 14, 9 have been hospitalized.
According to Long Beach’s health officer Dr. Anissa Davis, up to 170 people may have been exposed to TB. Now, officials are working to find those who may have been exposed and conduct screening on them.
Screening Potential Patients
Now that a public health emergency has been announced, the California city’s health officials are hoping that more light will be shed on this potentially deadly situation. With more attention on this issue, those who have been exposed to TB may get screened and help stop the spread of the outbreak.
However, health officials face an uphill battle, as they cannot reveal a lot of information about this emergency.
The Hotel at the Center of the Outbreak
Officials have declared that a hotel in Long Beach is at the center of this tuberculosis outbreak. All 14 cases so far have been linked to this private single-room occupancy hotel.
However, officials cannot release the name of this hotel to warn others, thanks to patient privacy laws.
Difficulty Finding Those Impacted
Because of this law, Davis has stressed that it makes their job more difficult, as they might not be able to easily find those who may have been past visitors of the hotel — and, therefore, may have been exposed to TB.
Davis stated, “It just highlights the urgency of being able to really identify people who were exposed to this group and get them screened.”
Homeless People Are Most at Risk
Davis did clarify that, so far, this outbreak is only concentrated among people who are homeless.
However, as TB is a contagious disease, there is always a threat that it could further spread through various communities in Long Beach. To keep this from happening, officials have been forced to declare a public health emergency.
What Is Tuberculosis?
Tuberculosis was once an incredibly deadly disease. However, thanks to modern science, many people can survive a TB infection. If left untreated, those with TB can pass away from their symptoms.
TB is a bacterial disease that can leave people with chills, night sweats, a lingering cough, and weight loss. This virus spreads through the air, often through particles that are then inhaled.
How Contagious Is TB?
TB is considered a contagious disease that can run through small communities, especially households. However, it isn’t severely contagious.
Often, you have to be around someone with TB for a long time to truly get the disease. Davis explained this by saying, “So you really have to be around somebody for a prolonged period of time in order to really get that infection from them, so we see it a lot in like households and congregate settings and things like that.”
A Threat to the General Public?
Because this contagious disease takes a while to spread from person to person, Davis has stated that the threat to the general public remains low — even though officials did declare a public health emergency.
The homeless community in Long Beach is at the highest risk, especially because TB can spread easily in communities, households, and families.
Other Symptoms of TB
TB is easily spread from person to person through the air. This can occur if an infected person sneezes, coughs, or spits near a healthy person.
However, some people who have been infected with this disease do not have symptoms. These people do not experience any sickness and aren’t considered infectious. Therefore, they cannot spread the disease to others.
Declaration of a Public Health Emergency
Davis and other city health officials are now trying to limit this outbreak in Long Beach. Declarations of a public health emergency can often make controlling the outbreak easier — especially if a lot of people have possibly been exposed.
“Because of that it has required more resources than our regular day-to-day can provide, and so a declaration of a localized public health emergency was necessary in order to rapidly get the resources that we need to respond to this outbreak effectively,” she said.
