Man in lockdown for exposing others to TB

Medicine & Health / Other

An Arizona man with tuberculosis is being kept in a hospital jail ward for going out in public without a mask and not taking his medication.

Robert Daniels, 27, has been confined to the fourth floor jail ward of Maricopa County Medical Center in Phoenix since August, the Los Angeles Times said Thursday.

The newspaper said Daniels suffers from a drug-resistant form of tuberculosis. The hospital said the only secure place to keep him is in the jail ward

Daniels, who has not committed a crime, admits he went out in public without a mask and forgot to take his medication at times. He said he is willing to stay in the hospital for treatment but wants to be housed in a regular room.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Arizona has said it would file a motion to compel his release.

Daniels, a U.S. citizen born in the former Soviet Union, was raised in Arizona but returned to Russia 10 years ago. The newspaper said Daniels returned to Arizona last year in hope of getting better medical care.

Copyright 2007 by United Press International

ť Next Article in Medicine & Health - Other: Conn. Lawmakers Pass Plan B Pill

would you recommend this story?