Blog

The city of Long Beach along the coast of California has declared a public health emergency after an outbreak of tuberculosis takes over the city. The disease, which typically lies dormant due to years of vaccinations, has been on the rise over the last few years, since 2020. Before 2020, the annual case count of tuberculosis was steadily declining as each year the U.S. case number got smaller and smaller. However, as on Monday, May 6^th, Long Beach has had 175 reported cases.

Some of the cases have come from a single-room occupancy hotel. 14 people who stayed at this hotel have now contracted the disease. This situation is what caused the city to declare a health emergency. Long Beach’s health officer, Dr. Anissa Davis, reacted to the news of the outbreak by pushing for a vote by the City Council, which ultimately won in her favor as they did declare a health emergency.

Thus far, there have been nine reported hospitalizations and one death.

The health department of Long Beach released a statement declaring the population of the city at large at risk of the disease. However, there are specific groups that are at an increased risk of contracting a case. Specifically, the health department named unhoused people, people suffering from mental illness, people with substance abuse issues, and people with “serious medical comorbidities” as the highest risk groups. The health department is working to get ahead of the outbreak, providing tests to those who may have been exposed.

So far, they are seemingly ahead of the issue as no new cases have been reported since last week.

The people with confirmed cases of tuberculosis are being isolated and treated according to the health department. A statement from them clarified that all of those with the disease are currently being provided temporary housing, food, and medical care.

Some experts wonder if the case increases over the last few years are a sign of something happening with the disease becoming more and more common, or if we are simply testing more often and in better ways. There are a few experts who have been analyzing the trend and argue that it is likely a combination of both.