Posted on 06/02/2007 1:51:54 PM PDT by james500
As the Atlanta lawyer with a dangerous form of tuberculosis began treatment yesterday in Denver, the patient and government officials here and abroad provided sharply divergent accounts of his 12 days of world travel. The accounts seemed to agree only in the missed opportunities to head off what has become an international public health scandal.
The patient, Andrew Speaker, has said that public health officials in Fulton County, Ga., told him a trip would not be risky. But those officials said that he had been clearly warned of the dangers. In interviews, public health officials at the county, state and federal levels all said he should not have traveled and defended their handling of the case.
The finger-pointing extended to Canada, Greece and Italy, where officials said they had received no word of Mr. Speaker’s presence in their countries in time to take action. Italian officials said they were first informed unofficially of an American with a dangerous tuberculosis case while Mr. Speaker was still in Rome, but had to take the initiative in calling the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta to ask for details. That information did not come until after Mr. Speaker had left Italy.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
My interpretation is that the “officials” are in CYA mode.
So one Atlanta lawyer with resistant TB is an international public health scandal according to the NYT.
I guess the NYT must be REALLY concerned with the massive international public health scandal from untold numbers of third-world illegals reintroducing diseases, like TB, that long ago were brought under control in the US.
I mean, right?
I agree, although there is absolutely nothing to excuse this jerk and his jerk of a father (not to mention his father in law, who was probably being coached by both of them). And of course nothing to exceuse the border agent, who by that time had undeniable information right on the screen in front of him telling him what to do - and simply ignored it.
Is it true that his father works for the CDC? I read that yesterday but haven't seen it repeated anywhere.
From this article.
This 31 year old “kid” and his whole family are spoiled rotten bully brats.
Dad-in-law works for the CDC --- and he should also be gone.
This family seems to have enough arrogance to fuel the next Saturn mission...
There’s a little confusion on the two fathers. His father-in-law is the CDC guy. His biological father is Ted Speaker who is a lawyer in Ga.
I think it’s both. Officials had concern. They advised Andrew Speaker not to travel because of the TB. Dad and Andrew wanted to go against that professional advise and the officials “backed off under his father’s lawyerly prodding”.
And, IF the father-in-law knew his son-in-law had TB and was contagious, WHY would he risk his daughter's life and everyone else's who were supposed to be at the wedding??? This REALLY doesn't make sense.
Thanks - that’s what I get for not reading the full article...
I really don’t get this. The TB guy went over to Europe to get married, yet he didn’t get married. WHY???
88888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888
NON GREEK MARRIAGE IN GREECE
http://www.athensguide.com/dorian/marriage.html
His father-in-law works for the CDC. His father is a scumbag lawyer, like the son.
I/they could be mistaken, but I read in other articles that he went to a *wedding*, not to get married himself.
Papa is also a retired Army Aviation Officer with a distinguished, 20 year career.
Add to that there is no record of his “marriage”
There is a hidden story here
Does that excuse what he does now?
Does anybody know how this man got TB in the first place?
I was truly shocked to see this guy. When I first heard the story I was sure he was from a foreign land, but he is a young American business guy (or lawyer, is that what he is?), so how did he contract this disease?
Not knowing, or not being told that, to me is the real medical scandal here.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.