Long Beach single-room hotel erupts with tuberculosis, causing 1 death and 9 hospitalizations, prompting the city to declare a public health emergency on Thursday, May 2nd.
According to FOX 11, as of April 29, there have been 14 confirmed cases related to the pulmonary tuberculosis outbreak. The Long Beach city government has refused to disclose the name of the hotel where the tuberculosis outbreak occurred, citing privacy concerns.
Dr. Anissa Davis, the city health officer, announced the local declaration of a health emergency. The Long Beach City Council is set to approve this statement next Tuesday.
The Long Beach Department of Health and Human Services insists that the risk of public exposure to the infection is low, as the outbreak is confined to certain “high-risk groups in terms of medical care,” including the homeless, mental health patients, substance abusers, drug users, and those with serious medical complications.
However, health officials also indicated that individuals who have stayed at this private hotel may have been infected, with the city government working to contact them. Investigators have identified about 170 potential contacts and are screening them, expecting an increase in both confirmed cases and contacts.
“Those with active tuberculosis or latent tuberculosis will be treated,” the city government stated, adding, “The level of attention required to control the outbreak far exceeds the daily scope of the health department, necessitating outreach to those at risk and significant staff time for multiple interactions.”
“Screening and treating this many individuals requires considerable resources,” the statement continued, “Declaring a public health emergency will expedite our department’s access to resources and enable us to take additional actions to control the outbreak.”