A woman suffering from tuberculosis who repeatedly refused treatment was arrested by authorities, who suspect she spread the disease to family members and acquaintances. The woman, Margaret Allen, 29, was taken Wednesday to Montabello Rehabilitation Center in Baltimore for treatment. Elin Gursky, director of epidemiology and disease control for the Prince George's County health department, said Allen was arrested by sheriff's deputies under a little-used provision of Maryland law that requires public health officials to control the spread of contagious diseases. Tuberculosis, which causes coughing, night sweats and profound weight loss, can be cured but can cause death if not treated, Gursky said. Health officials cannot force Allen to receive treatment for the disease, but they can incarcerate her to prevent its spread, Gursky said. Allen was described as being in a highly infectious stage of the disease, and if she leaves the hospital, Gursky said, she can be jailed. Health officials repeatedly tried to persuade Allen to be treated for the disease and then obtained a court order in a civil proceeding before seeking a criminal warrant for her arrest, Gursky said. Several members of her family have tested positive for tuberculosis, and are expected to receive treatment. ``I don't want people to think we go around arresting people who have communicable diseases because we don't,'' Gursky said. ``This was an extreme case.'' Tuberculosis is caused by an airborne strain of bacteria that can be transmitted by sharing a close space with an infected person, she said.
