PHOENIX — County health officials have identified a group of linked tuberculosis cases among people living without stable housing in the Phoenix area, ABC15 reported Monday.
A county spokesperson said in an email that the cluster is affecting the unhoused community and does not pose a risk to the broader county population. The department declined to say where the cases were identified or how many people are involved.
The department is coordinating its response with homeless-services providers. Keys to Change, which runs the Valley’s largest homeless services campus in downtown Phoenix, did not answer specific questions but said it coordinates regularly with the health department. CEO Amy Schwabenlender credited the county for ongoing guidance, testing and immunizations.
Tuberculosis spreads through the air when a person with active disease coughs or speaks, usually after prolonged close contact. It is treatable with a course of antibiotics, and public health teams typically trace and test close contacts when cases are linked.
Sources: ABC15. Thee Arizona Times uses AI-assisted reporting reviewed against the sources listed.
Photo: Alan Stark / CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons.
