A cluster of genetically related tuberculosis cases is spreading among people experiencing homelessness in the Phoenix area, and county health officials say it keeps growing nearly two years after it was first detected. Maricopa County health officials say the cluster is affecting the unhoused community but poses no risk to the broader Maricopa County population, even as new cases continue to surface.
The Maricopa County Department of Public Health first identified the cluster in 2024, and it continues to expand with several new genetically linked active cases, according to a health alert issued by the department. The department said it is now working to identify and notify anyone who may have been exposed to people within the cluster. A spokesperson for the Maricopa County Department of Public Health confirmed the agency has responded to the cluster, though the spokesperson declined to disclose where it is located, as reported by ABC15 Arizona.
County health officials stressed that while the cluster is affecting the unhoused community, it does not pose a risk to the Maricopa County community at large, per the department. Health officials are working with nonprofits that serve people experiencing homelessness in the Phoenix area as part of the response, the station’s report notes.
Nonprofit Partners Step In To Help Reach At-Risk Residents
Keys to Change, described as the largest campus in Phoenix assisting with shelter and other services, said it coordinates with the county health department in both proactive and reactive ways, per the same account. Amy Schwabenlender of Keys to Change said the organization appreciates MCDPH’s support in monitoring communicable diseases and offering regular guidance, testing and immunizations…