TB Outbreak in Los Angeles Claims Homeless Victims

Tuberculosis is on the rise among the homeless in Los Angeles County; it's even prompted the county health department to seek federal health as the number of cases rise.

During the past five years, the county health department has reported 78 people with tuberculosis in or around the skid row neighborhood. A total of 60 of these people were known to be homeless.

Tuberculosis, known as TB for short, is caused by the bacteria Mycobacterium tuberculosis. It can be transferred from person to person through the air from droplets when an infected person coughs or sneezes. Symptoms from this disease can include a cough, excessive sweating, fatigue, fever, weight loss and coughing up blood.

Fortunately, the particular strain of the diseases that's currently affecting the homeless in California is easily treated with drugs. In addition, the unique strain doesn't seem to be spreading outside the area where it was first found. Treatment can be highly effective as long as the patients can get help and follow up with it. Unfortunately, many of the homeless had other complications that made them less able to fight off the disease. Eight people who were infected also had HIV, which rendered their immune systems less able to fight off the infection. Of the eight, six died.

Officials are worried that this outbreak may not just stretch to the homeless, though. A total of 4,650 people frequent the homeless shelters from time to time, and could have been exposed to tuberculosis at one point. Since the disease is airborne, it can spread quickly and infect many individuals.

Currently, county officials are continuing to seek help from the CDC and those who work in homeless shelters. They hope to find homeless people who are showing possible symptoms of tuberculosis so that they can receive treatment sooner rather than later.