The Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department has been obtaining court orders for more than a year in an attempt to get a Tacoma woman to get treatment for her active tuberculosis (TB).

The health department said on Jan. 30 that it was monitoring the woman who declined to take medication for TB. Health officials are working with the woman’s family to try and persuade her to get treatment to protect herself and others.

According to court documents, the health department has filed and was granted court orders over the past year in an attempt to get the woman to isolate and receive treatment for TB. However, the woman has refused.

The first order was issued on Jan. 19, 2022.

The latest order was issued by Pierce County Superior Court Judge Philip K. Sorensen on Jan. 20, 2023. The order authorizes involuntary detention, testing, and treatment of the woman from Feb. 8 to March 25 until she "no longer presents a threat to the public health, safety, and welfare," at which point she would immediately be released from isolation.

The woman was already under an involuntary isolation order from Dec. 25 to Feb. 8. In the order, health officials said the woman started treatment. However, she left before treatment was complete.

Under Washington state law, health officials have the authority to seek a court order to persuade patients to comply with treatment. Nigel Turner, division director of Communicable Disease Control with the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department, said it is very rare that they seek court orders to get patients to comply.

However, the petition order filed on Jan. 20 noted that “failure to comply with this order may result in a finding of contempt whereby the Court orders further measures, up to and including electronic home monitoring and detention in Pierce County Jail."

"Detention is the very, very last option that we want to take and we don’t do that lightly," Turner told KOMO News. “Most people we contact are happy to get the treatment they need. Occasionally people refuse treatment and isolation. When that happens, we take steps to help keep the community safe."

State law also requires healthcare providers to report all active TB cases to the local health department. When a case of TB is reported to the health department, Turner said they follow up and make sure all patients with active TB are treated and cured.

TB is one of the most common illnesses in the world with around 10 million new cases a year. However, rates are much lower in the U.S. In Washington, there are about 200 cases a year, and most people recover with the right medication.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the treatment process can take three to nine months. People who end treatment early can also develop antibiotic resistance.

According to the health department, Pierce County has about 20 active cases of TB a year. TB infections usually affect the lungs and, if left untreated, can result in death. People with active, untreated infections are contagious and therefore are a risk to the community.