Most of us have heard the story by now. Andrew Speaker, a lawyer based out of Atlanta, was advised by doctors not to travel due to his evolved, drug-resistant strain of tuberculosis. After going ahead with his travel plans, he turned himself in to health professionals and is currently under quarrantine. Since then, Speaker and his doctors have been the subjects of harsh criticism.
The implication in the media is that since Speaker was advised not to travel and knew he was infected, he should have stayed home. Since doctors knew he was infected, they should have ordered him to stay home. Much concentration is put on the fact this Speaker’s TB is drug-resistant and, like standard TB, is contagious. Passengers from all of Speaker’s flights, from North America to Europe and back again, are encouraged to get themselves tested for the disease, which the passengers indeed should. However, let us all remember that not only is Speaker’s form of TB harder to kill; it is also harder to contract.
Criticisms have risen that Speaker was attempting to dodge health authorities. Not only did he take an earlier flight to Europe after being advised not to travel, but he continued with his travels while health officials in Italy were working on a treatment plan. Speaker has already defended himself, saying that he was not running from anyone. Of course he wasn’t. He wasn’t in trouble. He wasn’t breaking any laws. Most likely, he was trying to enjoy life before the disease started crippling his day-to-day. Upon his return to America, he turned himself in to health officials for treatment.
Speaker’s family, as well as airport officials and Speaker’s doctors, are still under scrutiny. Never mind that Speaker’s fellow passengers are only advised to get tested–much like Speaker was only advised not to travel–because they are only at low risk for contracting the disease. Never mind that Speaker’s new bride and travel companion has been tested and found clean. Perhaps the media, the Center for Disease Control, and others who will not relent in the investigation of circumstances and policies rather than the actual medical case will soon leave Speaker in peace with his treatments and the support of his loved ones.
You can read more about Speaker’s case here:
http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/OnCall/story?id=3231184&page=1&GMA=true&GMA=true
http://ompblog.blogspot.com/2007/06/family-defends-andrew-speaker-tb-man.html
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5 users commented in " In Defense of a Man and His TB "
Follow-up comment rss or Leave a TrackbackI think you are missing the point. It’s true that since Andrew Speaker wasn’t coughing and didn’t have a lot of TB virus in his sputum, that the chances of anyone catching it from him are low. But on the other hand, what he has is fatal more than half the time, and even those that survive it will spend years in the hospital and take drugs that damage their liver and kidneys! Even a small risk of catching something that bad should be avoided at all costs.
I agree that Speaker wasn’t breaking any laws (because he managed to leave the country before he was officially ordered to stay put) and that he was just hoping for a last hurrah before his treatment, but this in no way justifies putting hundreds of other people at risk. His best defense is that he wasn’t properly informed by health officials that he was contagious, but frankly, I just don’t believe it.
I’m sorry you don’t believe he wasn’t properly informed, but his story stays consistent, and the fact that he was not ordered to remain in the country by health officials speaks for itself.
My point was not that he was in the right when it came to continuing with his travel plans. Personally, I probably would have stayed home or at least worn a surgical mask. I simply meant that I think it’s time the general public stopped with its outrages just because they disagree with the man’s judgement. The CDC did not order him to stay, and now they’re trying to fix their mistake. The fact is that he showed no symptoms and found out how strong his strain was once he was in Europe. Instead of getting treatment there, he came back here to America and sought treatment here. The CDC can investigate that all they want, but the fact remains that he was not ordered to cancel the trip, and he was not ordered to stay in Europe upon learning how strong and deadly his strain was. My point was that perhaps the general public should worry less about one man’s judgement and more about the judgement of its health officials.
He knew he had TB.
He knew he had drug-resistant TB.
He didn’t fear for his life. In fact, he felt fine enough to travel for a 3 week+ vacation.
But tell him that what he has is extremely drug-resistant, and suddenly he’s fearly of imminent death?
Until, of course, he got to the US immigration checkpoint between Canada and the US. Then, he told the customs officer that he was fine.
Then he immediately resumed his fear of death.
Complete pack of lies. He wasn’t afraid of dying - he was afraid of the costs of treatment in Europe and the airfare.
Andrew Speaker is a selfish jackass who knowingly traveled with a deadly disease because his European vacation was more important to him than any other consideration.
The bit about him not breaking any laws may be correct (though I would think it criminal to lie to a customers officer, if he did) — but being a lawyer himself, I can’t help but feel that his leaving the country early, not contacting authorities while in Europe, and coming back via Canada were all acts committed in terribly bad faith. Not illegal, perhaps, but even worse than breaking the law outright because they were all premeditated, full informed acts, committed by a _lawyer_ precisely to avoid the letter of the law. Surreptitious recordings of his meetings with the doctors, leaving the country before he received a written letter forbidding him from traveling; he did these things precisely because he knew that what he was doing was wrong, would soon be prohibited by law, and that between himself and his father, he could find away of staying just barely legal as he put others at risk and cost the tax payers thousands as the authorities tried to track him down.
That said, I sympathise with him not wanting to stay in Italy; he had a pre-existing health condition which would surely not be covered by his travel insurance or his domestic health insurance. I’m sure they have carefully worded terms of service which would have denied him any coverage abroad. Which is yet another reason why a person in his position shouldn’t travel in the first place. At that point, though, the game was over; the authorities should have offered him a big carrot to return home to the States. It’s unbelievable that they apparently expected a scared, and obviously selfish, man to react responsibly to the news of his diagnosis. A big carrot, or they should have arrested him then and there.
I feel slapped in the face again! What was he thinking by going on CNN?
Andrew is the most selfish person i know. Regardless what kind of strain he had. The point is that he know in the begaining that his TB and it was dangerous enough that he might need surgery and had a low chance of recovery.
Hes a smart man I;m sure he did some research on it. Enough that before he left off to get married when asking for permission to leave the U.S. He and his family knew enough to tape record one of the meeting. So, He could use to to cove his own butt. Most people don’t do that.
In fact he had his treatment all lined up which also tells me that he know that he may not be doing right by leaving the U.S. In the first place. So he made sure to cover his own butt.
But I;ll be nice lets say he didn’t know and he found out that after he left that he not only put others in danger but needed to be put in the hospital right away and needed to turn himself in so no one else would be hurt!
What did he do. Took more plans rented a car and broke into this country disregarding others around him, even kids! He is not sorry! He’s still thinking of himself! What kinda person, should he run across kids not care if he puts there life’s in danger!
Now he wants to play victim. Thats really sick! The CDC right or wrong, are here to protect us!
Andrew should begging for everyone forgiveness from each and everyone he hurt instead of coming on T.V. Him asking to be told; I’m sorry and try and come off like a victim. Feels Like he just slapped the world in the face again! He needs to be put in Jail!
P.S. The crazy thing is, had he not been on CNN again I would have forgotten all about him. So him trying to save face made it worst in my eyes!
Just a thought I wish I could pass on to him.
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