According to San Jaoquin County Deputy District Attorney Stephen Taylor, a California homeless man by the name of Eduardo Rosas Cruz was tracked down and arrested by law enforcement on Tuesday after he refused treatment for tuberculosis.
Last Thursday, prosecutors in Northern California obtained an arrest warrant for 25-year-old Rosas Cruz who remained on the loose since March after refusing treatment for Tuberculosis. By law, Rosas Cruz cannot be forced to take the proper medication, but the courts can isolate him to protect the public and contain the infection. Doctors in the hospital say the man comes from a region in Mexico that is known for its drug-resistant strain of tuberculosis, but couldn't determine if Rosas Cruz was infected with it because he ran away.
Rosas Cruz visited the emergency room at San Jaoquin General Hospital back in March and complained of a severe cough, shortness of breath, and high fever. After the doctors ran a few tests, they diagnosed Rosas Cruz with TB and asked him to wait in a Stockton motel room where he would remain until a health worker delivered him the medication and watched him take it. The homeless man took off and hadn't been seen since, so after it was brought to the attention of the county's district attorney it became imperative to get a warrant and protect the public's health.
Tuberculosis (TB) is caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis that typically attacks the lungs, but it's also capable of attacking the kidneys, spine, and brain. The bacterium can spread if an infected person has TB in the lungs or throat and they cough, sneeze, speak, or sing. According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, TB affects one-third of the world's population (because not everyone infected with the bacterium becomes sick) and in 2012 nine million people across the world were infected, including 1.3 million deaths.
Now that officials have gotten a hold of Rosas Cruz, he will remain in isolation until he is medically cleared to return back to San Jaoquin County. Because they are unknown of the severity of his tuberculosis, the recovery period could take weeks before he is released.
You can read more about Eduardo Rosas Cruz and his arrest in this Los Angeles Times article.
