One of the largest tuberculosis outbreak in Los Angeles' is occurring among the homeless population, prompting the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to step in.

Health department have estimated 4,650 people may have been exposed and are working to locate them for testing and treatment. During the past five years there were nearly 80 cases of tuberculosis and reports of 11 deaths have been made, most of them homeless that live in or around skid row neighborhood.

"It's a well-defined population and a relatively small geographic area with a difficult population to work with, so we're putting a concentrated effort into making sure these individuals who are already vulnerable are getting attention," Dr. Jonathan Fielding, who directs the LA County Department of Public Health.

"This is the largest outbreak in a decade. We are really putting all of our resources into this," said Fielding.

The particular strain discovered in Los Angeles is discovered to be sensitive to drugs, so treatment is effective if the patient is able to get help and follow up with it, Fielding said.

"It's a very bad combination, especially if it's not being adequately treated," Fielding said.

The CDC launched a coordinated effort to contain the outbreak and has been screening people living in the area.

"They make you go get checked before you get into one of these programs because they don't want it spread out in there," John Williams, who started living in the Weingart shelter on Skid Row two weeks ago, according to CBS.

Fielding advised, "You don't get tuberculosis from being next to someone or walking down the street." The disease is airborne, but not as contagious as the cold or flu. It spreads by "fairly close contact" with infected individuals over an "extended period of time," he said.