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The county Health Department contends 65-year-old Karl Pha must be confined to save his own life and protect his five young children.
He was diagnosed with TB in August. But Public Health Nurse Jackie Krumenauer said at a court hearing Monday that Pha stopped taking his anti-TB drugs because of bad side effects, such as extreme itching.
Monday was his fifth day at Luther-Midelfort Hospital. He told the court by phone conference that his side effects have eased while he has been hospitalized.
Circuit Judge Benjamin Proctor granted a petition for the court-ordered confinement of Pha until he no longer is a threat to public health.
His confinement will be reviewed in 30 days, but may last up to six months before a formal court hearing, Proctor said.
No phone listing for Pha could be found when The Associated Press tried to reach his family for comment Monday night.
