San Francisco Probes Two TB Cases Tied to Strip Club

WHO:

SFGATE - The San Francisco Department of Public Health (SFDPH) is investigating two active tuberculosis cases linked to a local strip club.

SFGATE - SFDPH said it is unclear whether the people who became ill worked at Crazy Horse or were patrons.

SFGATE - Dr. Monica Gandhi, an infectious disease expert at UC San Francisco, discussed how active TB spreads and its treatment.

NY Post - Reported that two cases of a potentially deadly bacterial disease were linked to a San Francisco strip club.

WHAT:

SFGATE - SFDPH initiated contact tracing “to identify additional cases and prevent further spread.” The department said the effort is ongoing and “the risk to the general public is low.”

SFGATE - TB can remain latent for years or decades. Latent TB causes no symptoms and cannot be transmitted; it can develop into contagious active TB, with symptoms including fever, cough and weight loss.

SFGATE - San Francisco reported 9.3 TB cases per 100,000 people in 2025, compared with the California average of 5.4 per 100,000.

SFGATE - An outbreak at Archbishop Riordan High School resulted in eight active TB diagnoses and 244 latent TB diagnoses.

SFGATE - Gandhi said there is a cure for latent and active TB, but treatment generally requires months of antibiotics, which can be “difficult” to take.

SFGATE - Public health officials investigate active TB cases to identify others who may have been exposed; the department can compel people to receive treatment or remain in isolation.

San Francisco Chronicle - Its article identifies two active tuberculosis cases linked to a San Francisco strip club.

NY Post - Its report says the first confirmed case was found in early October.

WHERE:

SFGATE - The cases are linked to Crazy Horse, a strip club on mid-Market Street in San Francisco.

SFGATE - The high school outbreak was at Archbishop Riordan High School.

WHY:

SFGATE - SFDPH is investigating because active TB can spread and officials aim to identify additional cases and prevent further transmission.

SFGATE - Gandhi said active TB is airborne and can spread relatively quickly in a poorly ventilated room.

HOW:

SFGATE - Gandhi said coughing can propel mycobacterial particles into the air; exposure may be possible even after an infected person has left a room.

SFGATE - The department’s response includes contact tracing and may include compelled treatment or isolation.

(UPDATED October 23, 2026 23:16 UTC)

San Francisco health officials are investigating two active tuberculosis cases linked to the Crazy Horse strip club on mid-Market Street. It is unclear whether the people who became ill were employees or patrons. The department has started contact tracing to find others who may have been exposed and prevent further spread, while stressing that the risk to the general public is low. Active TB spreads through the air, and coughing can release particles that remain in a room even after an infected person leaves. Symptoms can include fever, cough and weight loss. TB can also remain latent for years without symptoms or the ability to spread, but it may later become active. Infectious disease expert Monica Gandhi says both latent and active TB can be cured, though treatment usually requires months of antibiotics. Officials may require treatment or isolation in some cases.