Forced Quarantine

People suffering from tuberculosis in New York City had better complete the full course of drug treatment if they want to retain their freedom. Plagued by too many patients who stop taking their medication after a few weeks rather than continuing for the six months to two years needed to achieve a cure, city health officials announced they will soon begin to confine the most recalcitrant patients in hospitals and long-term facilities. Detainees will have legal protections and be released when they finish therapy. Boston and Denver have adopted similar TB quarantines.