I didn't find a prior thread on this... wondering what people think of this?

6/2/2007 7:39:52 PM

Well, he claims his doctors said he wasn't contagius and the CDC didn't mail him a notification til the day BEFORE he left, so he was in the dark.

6/2/2007 8:19:59 PM

dude im not a lawyer and smart or anything, but even i know that TB is fuckin contagious, what a moron

6/2/2007 8:22:16 PM

He's a douche. It shouldn't take a genius to know that its a bad idea to travel when you have a drug-resistant, usually fatal air-borne illness.

Not to mention he defied the CDC when he hopped a plane to Canada and crossed the border. He knew he wasn't suppose to travel at that point.

6/2/2007 8:53:04 PM

Well, look at it this way, do you think his wife and father (works for the CDC) would let him near them or his kids if the doctors told them that he would infect them with a disease that would kill them?

They didn't tell him it was drug resistant until he was in europe.

[Edited on June 2, 2007 at 9:01 PM. Reason : ]

6/2/2007 9:00:29 PM

It does usually take prolonged exposure to become infected but this is also a new strain of the disease.

There's a man in CA, I think - could be wrong about the location, who has been diagnosed with the same form and is quarantined in a hospital with no contact allowed. This was on the news fairly recently.

This man's treatment is going cost close to a half million dollars, it was irresponsible to travel.

6/2/2007 9:04:49 PM

^so now people who travel with the flu are going to be liable? don't think so

6/2/2007 9:43:35 PM

Comparing the flu - which typically only kills babies and old people to TB which has killed millions of people...so not the same.

6/2/2007 9:46:27 PM

Quote :

"so now people who travel with the flu are going to be liable? don't think so"

bird flu, anyone?

you can have your exception to the rule, but far and large biological weapons can be a person,
no question about it. traveling while sick is similar to working in food service whilst infected
with the same sickness...it is irresponsible.

Besides, you expect to tell me that he didn't know what TB was? that if he truly didn't, he wouldn't seek an explanation? search Google?

6/2/2007 9:59:12 PM

Quote :

"The CDC contacted him in Italy and told him to turn himself in immediately at a clinic there and not take another commercial flight. "He was told in no uncertain terms not to take a flight back," said Dr. Martin Cetron, director of the Centers for Disease Control's division of global migration and quarantine."

http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/06/01/news/health.php

6/2/2007 10:02:10 PM

/thread?

6/2/2007 10:08:01 PM

his wife looks hot

6/2/2007 10:17:46 PM

prolly in anticipation of the divorce lol

6/2/2007 10:21:42 PM

After seeing his picture and his wife's rack, I say fry the douchebag.

6/2/2007 10:23:40 PM

well keep an eye on her. maybe you'll have a shot in about a year; she's gonna be a widow soon.

6/2/2007 11:10:55 PM

His case isn't necessarily fatal. It just depends on the specific mutations his form has developed.

Any clinical micro lab in the US would do extensive testing on the cultures to determine which drugs it's susceptible to, which then helps you pick a treatment regimen (in the case of TB, you use multiple drugs because it will rapidly develop resistance in the setting of one drug).

6/2/2007 11:18:37 PM

Quote :

""Before I left, I knew that it was made clear to me, that in order to fight this, I had one shot, and that was going to be in Denver," he said."

It sounds like he was told that if he didn't make it to Denver in time, he wouldn't be able to receive treatment in time to save him. So he probably felt the CDC was abandoning him to die at an Italian clinic. I can't say that I blame him for trying his hardest to get to the US.

[Edited on June 2, 2007 at 11:39 PM. Reason : .]

6/2/2007 11:38:41 PM

TB is not a fast killer.

6/2/2007 11:44:57 PM

6/2/2007 11:46:07 PM

^^and aside from that, there's no reason to be in a particular place to be treated as long as you're in a developed country that has access to the variety of antimicrobials that would be needed.

Even in Italy, you could contact infectious disease specialists in the US and get a treatment protocol worked out.

and hell, European physicians have more experience dealing with XDR-TB since it's more prevalent there.

[Edited on June 2, 2007 at 11:50 PM. Reason : ]

6/2/2007 11:48:07 PM

Quote :

"Any clinical micro lab in the US would do extensive testing on the cultures to determine which drugs it's susceptible to, which then helps you pick a treatment regimen (in the case of TB, you use multiple drugs because it will rapidly develop resistance in the setting of one drug)."

he has an unusually immune form, as in resistant to the multiple drugs WHO recommends, that's why this is such a big deal. Normally, they wouldn't be making such a big thing about TB.

6/2/2007 11:50:46 PM

^^and how is he gonna pay for all this? And I doubt he would know how reputable Italian doctors are, he probably thinks America would be the best place to get treatment for diseases than some foreign country where he's lost as shit.

Shit, I'm sure he was thinking "omg, life threatening disease, need to get back America asap and check myself into a hospital"

[Edited on June 2, 2007 at 11:55 PM. Reason : .]

6/2/2007 11:51:57 PM

^^you didn't comprehend what I posted.

The fact that he has XDR-TB doesn't mean his form is resistant to every antimicrobial.

Without seeing a susceptibility report, there's no way to know if his form is easily treatable or not. It might be easily taken care of.

[Edited on June 2, 2007 at 11:53 PM. Reason : ]

6/2/2007 11:53:27 PM

don't tell me i didn't comprehend it. perhaps you didn't comprehend the original article.

[Edited on June 2, 2007 at 11:56 PM. Reason : http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/notes/2006/np23/en/index.html]

6/2/2007 11:56:06 PM

Oh yes, my three years of med school including rotations with infectious disease attendings have not provided me with any information on TB whatsoever.

Thanks for enlightening me.

6/2/2007 11:57:06 PM

well, saying that something that WHO describes as "virtually untreatable" may be easily treated is just dumb.

6/2/2007 11:58:34 PM

Read your own link

Quote :

"XDR-TB poses a grave public health threat, especially in populations with high rates of HIV and where there are few health care resources."

Two of the major contributing factors to the high mortality rate of XDR-TB are:

1) It's more prevalent in less developed countries where people don't have access to the variety of antimicrobials we have here, and there's less strict oversight of TB treatment (like the directly-observed therapy we use in the US).
2) It's more common in people with HIV, which is a huge comorbidity.

Neither you nor I have seen the MIC reports on his form, so it's impossible to say that his form is "untreatable." The classification "XDR" just means it's resistant to a certain number of drugs.

6/3/2007 12:02:42 AM

^"especially" doesn't mean that places of limited resources are the only places where it is a real concern.


and did i say "untreatable?" no, i said that "easily treatable" is a real stretch.

[Edited on June 3, 2007 at 12:06 AM. Reason : x]

6/3/2007 12:06:04 AM

And yet, it could be easily treatable depending on the susceptibility reports.

I'm not saying that it isn't a concern here--we certainly don't want it to spread in the US. What this guy did was stupid and dangerous.

My point all along has been that XDR-TB is not necessarily fatal. It's entirely dependent on the specific strain.

[Edited on June 3, 2007 at 12:09 AM. Reason : ]

6/3/2007 12:07:43 AM

Quote :

"His case isn't necessarily fatal. "

Totally didn't see that. My apologies.





What kind of doctor?

[Edited on June 3, 2007 at 12:14 AM. Reason : v at least i'll admit it >.<]

6/3/2007 12:11:30 AM

self-pwnt

6/3/2007 12:13:56 AM

I'm going to go with the guy who went to med school over the guy who read an article.

6/3/2007 10:26:31 AM

ditto

she just likes to argue with people

6/3/2007 10:37:19 AM

Quote :

"Comparing the flu - which typically only kills babies and old people to TB which has killed millions of people...so not the same."

the flu has killed more people than TB ever will

6/3/2007 10:38:13 AM

Quote :

"the flu has killed more people than TB ever will"

Can ya back that up because considering TB's history - I just don't believe you.

6/3/2007 11:55:29 AM

^You do realize that "flu" is also known as "influenza," right?

6/3/2007 12:03:57 PM

Yes and it's usually only fatal to old people and babies - people with weakened immune systems.

6/3/2007 12:05:20 PM

Ahahahahahahahaha

6/3/2007 12:05:27 PM

The TB guy is a HUGE moron.

Quote :

""I know we went over and had a ceremony and that local officials (in Greece) had me sign all these documents. I know we exchanged rings," said the 31-year-old Atlanta attorney in a Newsweek magazine interview conducted on late Friday."

Quote :

""If there's some loophole and the local mayor didn't check some box, I don't know. Heck, we've even got the marriage pictures," he said."

Pictures do not a marriage make.

Quote :

"Greg Fansler, Speaker's former roommate, said there were documentation problems with the Greek authorities but that the couple held a wedding ceremony anyway and planned to take care of those problems when they returned to the United States."

So saying some words and taking some pictures is how you convince yourself that you are legally married?

Quote :

"Apologizing to all those now fearing for their own health after having been on airplanes with him, Speaker said, "I just hope they understand that truly in our minds we were told that we were not a threat to the people around us, and we wanted to get home." "I am very sorry for your fear, and putting you at risk. I don't expect those people to ever forgive me," he said tearfully. "I'm praying that nobody else tests positive," she added. That's something that I don't know that I could ever forgive myself for, if that happened." Thinking back on his decision to return to the United States on commercial jets, Speaker said, "In hindsight, maybe it wasn't the best decision.""

burn him at the stake.

[Edited on June 3, 2007 at 12:13 PM. Reason : silly people]

6/3/2007 12:12:16 PM

Quote :

"The 1918 flu pandemic, commonly referred to as the Spanish flu, was a category 5 influenza pandemic between 1918 and 1920 caused by an unusually severe and deadly Influenza A virus strain of subtype H1N1. By far the most destructive pandemic in history, it killed some 50 million to 100 million people worldwide in just 18 months, [1][2] dwarfing the bloodshed due to World War I (1914-1918). Many of its victims were healthy young adults, in contrast to most influenza outbreaks which predominantly affect juvenile, elderly, or otherwise weakened patients."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_flu

[Edited on June 3, 2007 at 12:13 PM. Reason : ]

6/3/2007 12:13:21 PM

stuff him into a 55 gallon drum and leave him in the mojave desert

6/3/2007 12:14:37 PM

Considering history (your words, sweet pea),

TB <<<<<<<<<<< flu <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< rage virus

6/3/2007 12:30:28 PM

Brain fart - I wasn't thinking about all the various strains of the flu. I was referring to the strain that peopel get shots for every year. Add in bird flu, spanish flu, etc etc etc, you're right.

6/3/2007 12:31:56 PM

this isnt 28 days later

6/3/2007 12:39:19 PM

he's negligent. Being a lawyer he should be privy to the number of lawsuits he could face even if people don't contract TB, but worry about it and cause anxiety.

Further, he shows knowledge of guilt by flying to canada to get back into the US, knowing he was blacklisted.


If this goes to court, this guys is dead guilty.

6/3/2007 1:16:51 PM

consumption has a long history of killing people in the world. We're not talking about plague like pandemics, but TB is one of the oldest known diseases. Even though the spanish flu killed that many people, I'm still reticent to believe the flu has killed more people than TB.

6/3/2007 1:39:06 PM

so what exactly is TB? i know i know i can do a search. but a short answer would be great. I know i hear about it all the time when I'm in Egypt. Reasons why the health department in Egypt is very strict about giving out licenses for cafe's using hokkas and what not and making sure the water is always clean and everyone gets their own disposable mouth piece.

6/3/2007 1:59:22 PM

it's Tuberculosis, man

6/3/2007 2:06:17 PM

Top Billing

6/3/2007 2:35:24 PM

http://www.pirate-king.com/episode/1602 says

Quote :

" Asked about the apology, Vik said, “People have to still remember that this is going to affect us for the next five, 10 years of our lives because we’re going to have to keep getting tests even if we’re negative just because we were on the plane with this guy.” "

That's worth millions in pain and suffering.

6/3/2007 2:51:06 PM