Tuberculosis Patient and the State Health Department? I need answers!?

Question

Under what circumstances would a state health department come to someones home and burn their belongings? A landlord called them after she found papers from the health dept. to the tenant (that had skipped out on his rent) regarding their TB status and she said the H.D. came out to burn his left belongings. Does this mean this person is in an active stage of TB and a threat to the general public? If not, then can a H.D. legally do something like this without the tenant's consent? I knew the tenant. Should I be concerned about exposure if I had visited with them inside their home? What about his ex-wife and their young children who knew nothing about this? Apparantly he was supposed to be taking meds for it but was sparotic in his taking of his meds and is a raging alcoholic who drinks heavily everyday. Does that effect the effectiveness of the meds?

Answer 1

I work for a local health department that is larger than all but 9 STATE health departments. We're big. We have a TB Control Unit. We do NOT burn people's stuff.

I have never heard of incineration as a TB control measure.

Yes, he should have been taking his meds, and yes, he should have avoided the alcohol (not because it'd compromise the meds, but because it can aggravate liver problems). A problem patient like him should have been tracked by a public health nurse or investigator and placed under DIRECTLY OBSERVED THERAPY (the nurse comes to your house and will not leave until s/he watches you ingest the medication). A problem patient like that should be placed under law-enforced quarantine, too. The family contacts should also be tested for TB since they were likely exposed.