12 people infected by TB sufferer who refused treatment

A tuberculosis (TB) sufferer who refused treatment went on to infect 12 other people with the disease, it has been revealed.

The revelation has renewed calls for a review of public health laws in order to improve treatment of the disease and prevent it spreading.

The man, who is in his forties and lives in Leicestershire, was diagnosed with TB in 2002. Under patient confidentiality laws, his identity cannot be revealed.

Although he has received some treatment, he has not completed the full six-month course of antibiotics required to eradicate the disease. If the treatment is not completed, the infection can become resistant to drugs and, as a result, it becomes much more difficult to treat successfully.

In 2002, doctors obtained a magistrates order, which forced the man to enter hospital for treatment, but he left when the order expired without completing the treatment.

The man received treatment again a year later when he was arrested for a serious crime and jailed for three months, during which time he received medication. However, after he was released, he again stopped taking treatment.

Dr Phillip Monk, a consultant with the Health Promotion Agency (HPA), described the Public Health Act 1984 as “inadequate”, saying that although sufferers could be placed in hospital under the legislation, there was no provision allowing compulsory treatment.

The government had previously announced plans to review the law and a Department of Health spokesperson was reported as saying that the government was working with the HPA to see if the law could be improved.

According to charity TB Alert, TB cases in England and Wales have increased over the last ten years. There are now around 7,000 infections each year in the UK and the disease kills around 350 people annually.

(KMcA/GB)