A public health emergency has been declared in Southern California after a tuberculosis outbreak killed at least one person and hospitalized nine.
Health officials said the outbreak was localized among guests at a single-room hotel in Long Beach, which the city health department would not identify.
A total of 14 cases of tuberculosis were confirmed Monday, but researchers have also identified 170 other people who may have been exposed, the city of Long Beach revealed.
City Health Officer Dr. Anissa Davis declared a local public health emergency Thursday in an effort to “strengthen the city’s preparedness and ability to respond” to the local outbreak.
Officials emphasize that the risk of exposure to the general public is “low,” noting that the outbreak is limited 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 disease that commonly affects 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.
A public health emergency has been declared in Long Beach, California, after a local outbreak of tuberculosis killed at least one person and hospitalized nine. Pictured is a file photo of downtown Long Beach as seen in February 2023
A total of 14 cases of tuberculosis were confirmed Monday, but researchers have also identified 170 other people who may have been exposed. Pictured is a 3D illustration of the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis
The Long Beach Department of Health and Human Services said people who stayed at the private hotel may have been exposed to tuberculosis and have been contacted by the city.
About 170 people who may have been exposed have been identified and are currently being screened, the city revealed in a news release.
As of April 29, 14 cases linked to the outbreak have been confirmed, but officials expect that number, as well as the number of additional exposures, to rise.
“Those diagnosed with active tuberculosis disease or latent tuberculosis infection will receive treatment,” the city said.
Officials declined to release the name or location of the hotel linked 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 said this Los Angeles Times that the hotel was not in quarantine and remains open. It is unclear whether the residents who stayed there have moved.
Long Beach officials declared a public health emergency Thursday afternoon, citing that “the level of attention required to contain the outbreak is well beyond the scope of the department’s daily work.”
Tuberculosis is a serious disease that usually affects the lungs, according to the CDC. The bacteria is spread through the air when an infected person coughs, sneezes or speaks. Shown is a file photo of a chest x-ray of the patient with tuberculosis
Officials say the declaration, which will be formally voted on by the City Council on Tuesday, will “streamline the department’s ability to quickly secure resources and take additional action to contain the outbreak.”
“The population of concern requires outreach and engagement, requiring significant staff time to conduct multiple interactions,” health officials said. “The Department has exhausted all resources to manage this response without an emergency declaration.
‘Screening and treating such a large number of people requires a lot of resources. Declaring a public health emergency streamlines the department’s ability to quickly secure resources and take additional action to contain the outbreak.”
The health department has been authorized to provide temporary housing, food and transportation to those exposed to the bacteria. The authority is also involved in the treatment of tuberculosis.
Neighboring Los Angeles County has not had any cases linked to the outbreak in Long Beach, but the state’s disease control agency plans to “support” Long Beach in the outbreak, a spokesperson told the LA Times.
DailyMail.com has reached out to the Long Beach and Los Angeles County health departments for comment.
The outbreak comes at a time when tuberculosis cases appear to be increasing across the country.
Last year, the US recorded the highest number of tuberculosis cases in a decade, a CDC report showed, with 40 states reporting increases in the disease.
More than 9,600 cases of tuberculosis were reported in 2023, an increase of 16 percent compared to 2022 and the highest recorded number of cases since 2013.
Cases reportedly dropped sharply at the start of the coronavirus pandemic, but officials say they have since risen.
Cases in California rose 15 percent in 2023, compared to the previous year. The Health Ministry said in March that the rise in tuberculosis cases was the highest year-on-year increase since 1989.
Last year, California recorded a total of 2,113 cases of tuberculosis — about the same number as in 2019, before the pandemic.
The outbreak in Long Beach follows a recent tuberculosis outbreak at migrant facilities in Chicago.
Last month, the Chicago Department of Public Health revealed that city officials began urgent contact tracing after cases of tuberculosis were discovered at a migrant facility in the city.
The Chicago Department of Public Health has not released the exact number of cases or which shelter they came from confirmed that “a small number of cases” were reported “in a few different shelters” in the city.
The outbreak in Chicago followed a recent measles outbreak in the city’s shelters. Officials said at the time that “these outbreaks are happening in close quarters, from people living in close proximity to each other” and reaffirmed that the public did not need to panic.
More than 9,600 cases of tuberculosis were reported in 2023, an increase of 16 percent compared to 2022 and the highest recorded number of cases since 2013
Tuberculosis kills an estimated 1.6 million people worldwide every year, making it one of the leading causes of death worldwide.
The infection is spread through patients’ coughs and sneezes and most often affects the lungs, although it can also spread to other parts of the body.
Early symptoms of the disease include coughing, fever, night sweats and weight loss.
A severe tuberculosis infection can be fatal by destroying the organs from within, causing them to bleed and fill with fluid.
Tuberculosis is especially dangerous for people with weakened immune systems, such as people undergoing chemotherapy, and for people without access to good medical care.
But the infection can usually be cured with antibiotics. The BCG vaccine protects people from getting tuberculosis, but it is only given to people who are at higher risk of getting the infection.