Officials are looking for a woman who tested positive for tuberculosis this weekend in Tampa.
Police said Sarah J. Williams, 53, walked out of Tampa General Hospital at about noon on Saturday. She left the hospital against medical advice and before she could receive the results of her tuberculosis test.
On Sunday at noon, Williams' doctor told police that she had tested positive for tuberculosis.
“We’re worried about the risks to the citizens. We also had two officers that came in contact with her a few weeks ago, and they will now have to be tested,” said Tampa Police Lt. Ronald McMullan.
Tuberculosis is an infection that attacks the lungs, causing fevers, coughing, even death. Doctors say Williams’ case is very contagious.
“The people that we’re most concerned about are those that may have been in group homes, where people are clustered in,” said Dr. Douglas Holt, with the Hillsborough County Health Department. “Homeless and shelters fits that bill.”
Police are now searching for Williams, who is homeless and is known to frequent the downtown Tampa area.
Williams is described as a black woman who stands 5'6" and weighs 100 pounds. She was last seen wearing long brown pants and a green beanie.
Anyone with information about Williams' whereabouts is asked to call the Tampa Police Department.