A tuberculosis outbreak prompted a Long Beach official to declare a local public health emergency May 2.
One person has died and nine are hospitalized after 14 people contracted the disease, according to City Health Officer Dr. Anissa Davis.
About 170 people have likely been exposed to the disease in Long Beach, which started in a hotel room, according to the city’s Department of Health and Human Services. The exact location of the hotel was not disclosed because of patient privacy concerns. Officials say it was a private hotel not operated by or contracted with the city.
The number of those exposed is expected to increase, the health department said.
“People who were staying at the hotel at the time or could have otherwise been exposed have been or will be contacted,” the department said in a press release Thursday.
As of April 29, the risk to the public was low, officials said.
Department staff are screening contacts for TB by reviewing symptoms, and administering blood and skin tests and chest x-rays.
The department will provide treatment to TB patients and support them with temporary housing, food, and transportation. Treatment requires months of multiple medications, and medicine given under direct observation by health staff.
The attention needed to contain the outbreak is “beyond the scope of the department’s day-to-day work,” officials said. “The population of concern requires outreach and engagement, necessitating significant staff time to perform multiple interactions.”
Declaring a public health emergency helps to quickly secure resources and take more action to contain the outbreak, according to the department.
The Long Beach City Council is expected to ratify the declaration at its regular meeting May 7.
TB is one of the most deadly diseases in human history. In the 1880s, TB killed one of every seven people living in the United States and Europe, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
TB is a bacterial disease that spreads through the air, such as when an infected person coughs, sneezes or speaks. The disease doesn’t spread as quickly as COVID-19 and infection usually requires prolonged exposure.
Crowded and poorly ventilated rooms are risk factors for transmission, the health department reported.
The homeless population and people who use illegal drugs or have HIV are also at an increased risk.
People with active TB usually have a cough that lasts two or more weeks, and a fever, night sweats, weight loss, or fatigue.
Tuberculosis cases in the U.S. are on the rise, with the number of reported infections last year reaching the highest seen in a decade, according to the CDC.
California officials issued a “health advisory” in April after a “substantial increase” in the number of cases. The state reported about 2,100 cases of active TB last year—a 15 percent jump from the year before.
