As I get ready to fly today, I'm wondering when we'll see the first case of airplane passengers confronting a sick traveler. I'm thinking, of course, of this bizarre story about a tuberculosis-infected man carrying his sorry self across multiple nations and borders.
To recap: Speaker has extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis, XDR-TB. He was originally diagnosed with multidrug-resistant TB. His doctor recommended that he not travel. In response, the personal injury lawyer (ambulance chaser? savor the irony!) flew to Europe for a honeymoon. Disdaining Italian medical care (why?), he then flew to Canada. Next he drove across the apparently-porous US border.
One detail fascinates me, the extent to which this story is driven by privilege. Speaker is white, male, attractive, a member of a profession associated with power, and apparently wealthy. His father works for the CDC on... TB. Speaker was able to win national media attention, including conversations with leading tv interviewers; how likely would this have been if he weren't white and/or well-connected and/or telegenic? Consider: would an uninsured or underinsured person sneer at Italian health care? Did his doctor fail to order him to stay home because of Speaker's social status?
Another aspect is just how lame American epidemic response appears in light of this. WHO rightly mocks the US for letting this disease vector aim himself at the rest of the world. A border guard was alerted to Speaker (yes! the system worked!)... only to decide to let the fellow go on anyway. A fine terror tactic: get a splendid disease, then fly around the US, carefully hawking into receptacles.
I expect to hear more stories like this one, with a passenger subduing another. Wait for the next person to be visibly ill for a while.
Two words: Moose Fever.
Seems like almost everyone that attended Northern Voice 2007 got hit with the plague. Thankfully, it wasn't TB, but it'd be really easy for the next SARS to be spread through conference contacts...
Posted by: D'Arcy Norman | June 06, 2007 at 14:03
In case of emergency flex-cuffs and N95 masks will fall from the cabin ceiling.
Posted by: Jamie Bono | June 06, 2007 at 14:24
I'd bet you guys wouldn't try to spread it around, D'Arcy.
LOL, Jamie! I admit to misreading your comment as "fisticuffs."
Today's reading: "The Last Flight of Dr. Ayn."
Posted by: Bryan Alexander | June 06, 2007 at 17:15
Considering how filthy the average commercial air craft is, this is nothing new. The lack of cleanliness eliminates the need for someone to actually contract a disease, they could just "leave it behind" in one form or another.
Also of note, terrorism always strikes the privileged [from a global perspective].
Posted by: pete naegele | June 07, 2007 at 11:47
Technically, his new father in law worked at the CDC. His own father is head of the law firm he works at. Not brassy, not bronzey, but ... irony?
His own father is also the one claiming to have a recording of the health officials telling him he could fly. But they have not released the tape yet. Wonder why? And to mention it, wonder why they would have recorded the conversation in the first place?
Good thing Paris got released today to distract us from this trivial matter of international concern. California Uber Alles!
Posted by: Big Henry | June 07, 2007 at 19:12