Maricopa County Public Health recently sent an advisory to clinicians about a cluster of genetically related infectious tuberculosis cases among county residents experiencing homelessness.
MCDPH is working to find and notify people who may have been exposed. Clinicians are being asked to keep TB in mind when seeing patients with compatible symptoms, especially people with unstable housing. Early testing and treatment are key, both for people with active TB disease and for those with latent TB infection who could develop active disease later.
Their advisory also gives clear infection control instructions for healthcare settings.
Now for the public health policy connection. TB control depends on public health authority. Authority that is on the precipice of being eliminated.
If HCR2056 makes it to the ballot and voters approve it, many of the tools needed to control outbreaks like this will be weakened or gone. It’s framed as a “right to refuse” medical mandates, but it goes way beyond school vaccines. It would place broad limits on the ability of counties to require medical treatment or interventions as a condition of access to public spaces or services. That would mean that a person with active TB who won’t take their medicine can just roam around town infecting people.
Resources:
- CDC Tuberculosis for Healthcare Providers
- CDC Tuberculosis Infection Control
- CDC Tuberculosis risk factors & signs and symptoms
- Arizona Department of Health Services Tuberculosis Control
