🚓📝 Da Judge Stay Issuing Warrant fo’ Washington State Wahine Who No Like Get TB Treatment
🔍 One judge wen issue one arrest order in February fo’ one wahine wit tuberculosis who wen refuse fo’ take medication o’ stay isolate. Dey wen see her aftah on city bus an’ at one casino.
One wahine from Washington State who stay telling “No tank you!” to getting treatment fo’ tuberculosis fo’ mo’ den one year still no can be found three months aftah one civil warrant wen issue fo’ her arrest, officials wen say dis week.
🗒 Da Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department wen say on Monday, May 22, 2023, dat da wahine, we goin’ call her V.N. in da court documents, still stay refusing treatment an’ one judge on Friday wen extend da civil warrant he wen issue in February dat give da police da authority fo’ catch her.
Sometime aftah dat, dey wen see da wahine leave her house an’ take one city bus to one local casino, accord’ to one court filing in April. One lawyer fo’ V.N. no respond right away to one request fo’ comment on Tuesday.
🔍 Da Health Department wen say dis stay only da third time in da past 20 years dat dey wen have fo’ go get one court order fo’ catch one patient wey stay telling “No way!” to TB treatment. TB, one disease wey come from da bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis, wey can spread from infected peepol through da air, wen kill 1.6 million peepol in 2021, according to da World Health Organization.
One local officer from da Health Department, wey dey no tell us him name, wen “determine, o’ get reason fo’ believe” dat da wahine still get TB, accord’ to one court filing wey happen on May 10. We no know from da county’s latest statement wat her condition stay like dis week.
👨⚖️ In one hearing on Friday, Judge Philip Sorensen from da Pierce County Superior Court wen extend da arrest warrant wey him first issue on Feb. 24.
Judge Sorensen wen say for da February order dat him dey issue da warrant aftah da wahine wen refuse o’ fail fo’ obey da previous orders wey tell her fo’ take medication o’ isolate herself. Him wen also say she nevah “resume treatment,” wey mean da wahine wen probably take da medication one time.
💬 Sgt. Darren Moss, one spokesman fo’ da Pierce County Sheriff’s Department, wen say for one email on Tuesday dat da wahine nevah dey in custody.
“I no can give out any information ’bout how we dey try find her, wey we dey look o’ any oddah details ’cause it can mess up da work wey our deputies dey do,” him say.
🏥 If da warrant dey act upon, da wahine goin’ dey lock up inside one Pierce County facility. Inside da facility, she goin’ dey do testing an’ treatment till dem figure out say she no pose one threat to public health.
👮 Patricia Jackson, chief of da Pierce County Sheriff’s Department Corrections Bureau, wen say for one April court filing say she wen order surveillance on top da wahine fo’ collect information so dat officers go fit arrest her wit’ safety.
Dat come aftah one officer wen see her dey go one local casino, da filing say. Da officer say aftah dat, da wahine nevah dey home an’ her family members no respond wen dey try contact dem. Ms. Jackson say for da filing say she wen tell da officer fo’ stop da surveillance till anothah time.
🗓 On May 1, one person wey identify himself as da wahine’s son wen call da Health Department, accord’ to court filings, an’ him wen ask if him mama miss her hearing an’ when da next hearing go hold. Da next hearing wey dey schedule go hold on June 23.
🌡️ Dem say ’bout 20 cases of active TB dey happen every year inside Pierce County an’ active, untreated infections dey pose risk to da community, accord’ to da Health Department. Symptoms dey depend on top which part of da body da infection dey dey an’ dey can include one bad cough wey dey last three weeks o’ mo’, fatigue, weight loss, an’ fever, accord’ to da Centers for Disease Control an’ Prevention. Most peepol dey fully recover from TB if dem take medication, but if dem no treat am, e fit cause death.
NOW IN ENGLISH
🚓📝 The Judge is Issuing a Warrant for Washington State Woman Who Refuses to Get TB Treatment
🔍 One judge issued an arrest order in February for a woman with tuberculosis who refuses to take medication or isolate herself. They have seen her after on a city bus and at a casino.
One woman from Washington State who is adamant about saying “No thank you!” to receiving treatment for tuberculosis for over a year still cannot be found three months after a civil warrant was issued for her arrest, officials say this week.
🗒 The Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department stated on Monday, May 22, 2023, that the woman, referred to as V.N. in the court documents, is still refusing treatment, and a judge on Friday extended the civil warrant he issued in February, granting the police authority to apprehend her.
Sometime after that, they spotted the woman leaving her house and taking a city bus to a local casino, according to a court filing in April. A lawyer for V.N. has not immediately responded to a request for comment on Tuesday.
🔍 The Health Department states that this is only the third time in the past 20 years that they have had to seek a court order to apprehend a patient who stubbornly refuses treatment for TB. TB, a disease caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis, which can spread from infected people through the air, claimed the lives of 1.6 million people in 2021, according to the World Health Organization.
A local officer from the Health Department, whose name was not disclosed, has “determined, or has reason to believe” that the woman still has TB, according to a court filing on May 10. It is unclear from the county’s latest statement what her condition is like this week.
👨⚖️ In a hearing on Friday, Judge Philip Sorensen from the Pierce County Superior Court extended the arrest warrant that he first issued on Feb. 24.
Judge Sorensen stated in the February order that he was issuing the warrant because the woman had refused or failed to comply with previous orders to take medication or isolate herself. He also mentioned that she had not “resumed treatment,” implying that the woman had taken the medication at one point.
💬 Sgt. Darren Moss, a spokesman for the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department, stated in an email on Tuesday that the woman is not in custody.
“I cannot provide any information on how we are attempting to locate her, where we are looking, or any other details as it may jeopardize the efforts of our deputies,” he said.
🏥 If the warrant is executed, the woman will be detained in a Pierce County facility. Within the facility, she will undergo testing and treatment until it is determined that she no longer poses a threat to public health.
👮 Patricia Jackson, the chief of the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department Corrections Bureau, stated in an April court filing that she ordered surveillance on the woman to gather information so that officers could make a safe arrest.
This decision came after an officer spotted her going to a local casino, as mentioned in the filing. The officer reported that in the following days, the woman was not at home and her family members did not respond to attempts to contact them. Ms. Jackson stated in the filing that she directed the officer to cease surveillance until a later date.
🗓 On May 1, an individual who identified himself as the woman’s son contacted the Health Department, according to court filings, and inquired about whether his mother had missed her hearing and when the next hearing would be held. The next hearing is scheduled for June 23.
🌡️ It is estimated that there are around 20 cases of active TB each year in Pierce County, and untreated infections pose a risk to the community, according to the Health Department. Symptoms vary depending on the location of the infection in the body and can include a persistent cough lasting three weeks or more, fatigue, weight loss, and fever, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Most people fully recover from TB with proper medication, but if left untreated, it can result in death.
