A public health emergency has been declared in southern California after a tuberculosis outbreak left at least one person dead and nine hospitalized.
Health officials said the outbreak was localized to guests at a single-room occupancy hotel in Long Beach, which the city’s health department has declined to identify.
A total of 14 cases of tuberculosis were confirmed as of Monday, but investigators have also identified 170 other people who may have been exposed, the City of Long Beach has revealed.
City Health Officer Dr. Anissa Davis on Thursday declared a local public health emergency in effort to ‘strengthen the city’s preparedness and ability to respond’ to the localized outbreak.
Officials insist the risk of exposure to the general public is ‘low’, noting the outbreak is restricted to a ‘distinct population’ of people with ‘significant barriers to care, including homelessness and housing insecurity, mental illness, substance abuse and serious medical comorbidities.’
Tuberculosis is a serious illness that usually attacks 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.
Long Beach’s Department of Health and Human Services said that people who stayed at the privately operated hotel may have been exposed to tuberculosis and have been contacted by the city.
Around 170 people who were potentially exposed have been identified and are in the process of being screened, the city revealed in a press release.
As of April 29, 14 cases associated with the outbreak have been confirmed but officials expect that number, as well as the number of additional exposures, to rise.
‘Those who are found to have active TB disease or latent TB infection will be provided treatment,’ the city said.
Officials refused to release the name or location of the hotel connected to the outbreak ‘to protect patient privacy and comply with HIPAA regulations’, but said the facility is private and not operated by the city.
The health authority told the Los Angeles Times that the hotel was not in quarantine and remains open. It is unclear whether the residents who were staying there were moved out.
Long Beach officials declared the public health emergency Thursday afternoon, citing how the ‘level of attention needed to contain the outbreak is well beyond the scope of the department’s day-to-day work’.