TB Outbreak Raises Concerns Over Best Approach for Public Health Measures

The outbreak of tuberculosis (TB) in Long Beach raises a few classic questions about public health that have become loud and clear since the start of COVID-19.

TB had seen 27 years of decline that ended nationwide four years ago by increasing numbers. The U.S. reported that 9,615 active infections took place last year – a 16% increase over the previous year. California saw a 15% rise in TB cases in 2023 over the previous year, according to a March statement by the state’s Department of Public Health – the highest year-over-year rate since 1989.

Long Beach declared it a public health emergency on May 2, after one person died and nine others were hospitalized due to the outbreak. As of May 8, 14 cases had been confirmed and approximately 170 people have likely been exposed.

The city says the outbreak was localized to a single-room occupancy hotel in Long Beach, which health officials declined to identify. This type of hotel is a form of affordable housing meant for low- or minimal income residents, according to the city’s public information office.

Health organizations have been looking at TB and its risk and damaging potential for several years.

The bacteria typically attack the lungs but can also hit other parts of the body including kidneys, spine, and brain. TB bacteria spreads when a person coughs, sneezes, speaks or sings; bacteria can spread through the air and a non-infected patient can breathe in the bacteria.

Bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG) is a vaccine for TB, but it hasn’t taken off in the U.S. It has been widely utilized in other countries for much of the past century.

The BCG vaccination is only recommended for people at higher risk of getting TB, such as some babies and children, some travelers and people at risk through their work, according to the World Health Organization. You only need to have the BCG vaccine once.

Since COVID-19 hit, mRNA vaccines have become more legitimate and widely used. According to a March 2023 National Center for Biotechnology Information study, there is no literature as of that time which suggests TB vaccine research is developing RNA-based vaccine options.

Alternative Healthcare Views
On What to Do About It

Declaring healthcare emergencies, isolating the public, and pushing vaccinations has been a very sensitive issue since the March 2020 COVID-19 pandemic officially started. Many American parents have opposed having their children vaccinated for COVID-19 – and for measles and other illnesses in recent years. It’s been a top issue for independent presidential candidate Robert Kennedy, Jr., who’d been an opponent of mandatory COVID-19 vaccinations.

For many Californians, these core health and longevity issues had been in place several years before COVID-19 hit. They’ve tried out alternative healthcare solutions such as seeing an acupuncturist, a chiropractor, a naturopathic practitioner, or a doctor of osteopathic medicine (DO). These medical professionals usually recommend taking a holistic approach to healthcare that focuses on preventive healthcare and helping patients develop lifestyles and attitudes that prevent illness. They might also recommend nutritional practices, herbs, and vitamins and supplements.

It’s based on strengthening the body’s immune system.

Dr. Allen Arnette of ParkView Health & Wellness Center in Long Beach advises his patients to focus more on traditional Chinese medicine’s approach than on Western medicine’s structure using diagnosis, surgery, and medication. That might be appropriate for surviving a life-threatening health condition, but it’s not designed around preventing the next one such as TB, smallpox, or other diseases.

“These things that we’re afraid of come out of high density, un-sanitized areas where human waste comes together to create a cesspool that drives mutations of bacteria and viruses. It creates new bacteria and viruses that will infect people until the immune system comes up to speed and understands that particular item and then gets it into the genome so the body understands how to fight that particular bug,” Arnette said.

Public health officials responding quickly and recommending antibiotics and possibly vaccines may help the immediate problem, but it misses that the solution really comes down to the individual’s susceptibility and variation, he said.

“The battle becomes less about how do we kill a specific bacteria or virus, and more about treating the individual for their way through it. Did they get more of a lung symptom, a throat symptom, a phlegm symptom, more of a sinus symptom, a digestive symptom? Then treating that condition,” he said.

Just prescribing an antibiotic can be vastly incomplete, he said. Humans are much more complex and will need to take more action than just taking an antibiotic.

“Public health officials will err on the side of hard and fast rules and antibiotics or not, simply because they have to control a large population in a high-density area,” Arnette said. “It is the individual who self selects, self pays, and is self aware enough to choose alternative methods to be able to help themselves without the antibiotic which is absolutely possible. Research shows that Chinese medicine can cure tuberculosis.”

Arnette emphasizes establishing habits to increase your health, vitality, and longevity. One would be creating a diet high in fruits, vegetables, and lean protein. Getting guidance here would help you choose food best for producing immune proteins, enzymes, and cells.

Finding ways to manage stress is key, whether that be through exercise, breathing practices, meditation, or getting acupuncture. Excess stress can raise sympathetic hormone functions, which directly reduces your immune function, according to ParkView Health.

Getting enough sleep is another practice. That allows your body to maintain healthy homeostasis. Not getting enough sleep interferes with the body’s healthy hormone balance, which compromises your immune system.

Smoking can attack the immune function of your respiratory system, predisposing you to infections. It’s wise to find ways to stop smoking if you already do so.

Arnette and other healthcare practitioners enjoy working with patients – getting a broad, holistic view of how their lives are going and addressing their concerns. Coming down with a series of infections from colds and flus, COVID-19 infections or other viruses and bacteria, and other health issues, can typically be a sign that the patient has a lot going on in their life and it’s time to take their wellness very seriously.

Jon LeSage is a resident of Long Beach and a veteran business media reporter and editor. You can reach him at jtlesage1@yahoo.com.