Inspector Ignored Warning On TB Patient

Man With Dangerous Strain Of Tuberculosis ID'd As Lawyer, Son-In-Law Of TB Expert

(CBS/AP)  A U.S. border inspector who allowed an Atlanta lawyer infected with a dangerous strain of tuberculosis back into the country, disregarding a computer warning to stop the man and don protective gear, has been removed from border duty, officials said Thursday.

The unidentified inspector explained that he was no doctor but that the infected man seemed perfectly healthy and that he thought the warning was merely "discretionary," officials briefed on the case told The Associated Press. They spoke on condition of anonymity because the matter is still under investigation.

The patient was identified as Andrew Speaker, a 31-year-old personal injury lawyer who returned last week from his honeymoon in Europe. His new father-in-law, Robert C. Cooksey, is a U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention microbiologist specializing in TB and other bacteria.

Speaker is now under quarantine at a hospital in Denver. He is first infected person to be quarantined by the U.S. government since 1963.

Speaker will stay in a room with specially designed ventilation to prevent germs from escaping, and doctors will try as many as five different antibiotics first, reports CBS News correspondent Kelly Cobiella. If that doesn't work, they'll resort to surgery.

Cooksey would not comment on whether he reported his son-in-law to federal health authorities. Nor did the CDC explain how the case came to their attention. However, Cooksey said that neither he nor his CDC laboratory was the source of his son-in-law's infection.

The disclosure that the patient is a lawyer — and specifically a personal injury lawyer — outraged many people on the Internet and elsewhere. Some travelers who flew on the same planes with Speaker angrily accused him of selfishly putting hundreds of other people's lives in danger.

"It's still very scary," 21-year-old Laney Wiggins, one of more than two dozen University of South Carolina-Aiken students who are getting skin tests for TB. "That is an outrageous number of people that he was very reckless with their health. It's not fair. It's selfish."

Speaker had told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that he knew he had TB when he flew from Atlanta to Europe in mid-May for his wedding and honeymoon, but that he did not find out until he was already in Rome that it was an extensively drug-resistant strain considered especially dangerous. He said that doctors initially did not order him not to fly and only suggested he delay his wedding.

Despite later warnings from federal health officials not to board another long flight, he decided to fly to Canada and sneak back from there to the U.S. instead of flying, believing he would not survive if he did not reach the U.S., he said.

He was quarantined May 25, a day after he was allowed to pass through the border crossing at Champlain, N.Y., along the Canadian border.

The inspector ran Speaker's passport through a computer, and a warning — including instructions to hold the traveler, don a protective mask in dealing with him, and telephone health authorities — popped up, officials said. About a minute later, Speaker was instead cleared to continue on his journey, according to officials familiar with the records.

The Homeland Security Department is investigating.

"The border agent who questioned that person is at present performing administrative duties," said Homeland Security spokesman Russ Knocke, adding those duties do not include checking people at the land border crossing.

Colleen Kelley, president of the union that represents customs and border agents, declined to comment on the specifics of the case, but said "public health issues were not receiving adequate attention and training" within the agency.

On Thursday, a tan and healthy-looking Speaker was flown from Atlanta to Denver, accompanied by his wife and federal marshals, to Denver's National Jewish Medical and Research Center, where doctors planned to isolate him and treat him with oral and intravenous antibiotics.

[bustardo]

The same people in the press making hay with this story are ignoring the fact that thousands of illegals cross the border carrying infectious diseases on a regular basis. The illegals may be spreading the worst kind of diseases undetected by officials. The pandemic is coming.

[hazel789]

Nice thoughts.Continue this appreciating work.

Hazel Knight
<a href="http://www.legalx.net" rel="dofollow">Personal Injury Lawyer</a>

[crater7]

T B on a plane worries health officials!


YOU THINK, DUHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

[crater7]

HEY! WE HAVEN'T HEARD FROM GONZA, IN AWHILE MAYBE HE IS INFECTED WITH THAT NEW TYPE OF DISEASE, I CAN'T RMEMEMBER, I CAN'T RECALL, DUMB ARSE DISEASE.

[farmerbb]

If US health officials contacted this person in Italy, advising him of his condition, they SHOULD have told him "Go to the nearest facility (whatever they chose) and STAY there until we tell you. If you attempt to go anywhere else or leave Italy you will be charged with reckless endangerment for spreading your disease, and imprisoned for the safety of all". Why they did not do this escapes me.

[smb221]

bustardo, I agree! I live in South Texas very close to the border. There are a lot of people down here with TB which is pretty scary. But it's even more scary to think that right across that border, there are even more infectious diseases that can be spread here through illegal aliens.

[nolalou]

Farmerbb,

I wondered the same thing. Let alone this guy's arrogant attitute once he was contacted in Italy was bad enough, then he goes and purposly tries to evade authoritis, by changing his flight from the USA to Canada instead. I'm not sure what athority the USA has in Italy, but I have to assume we have some kind of agreement with them where they could have brought this guy in. Even if that's not the case, he should never have been allowed on a flight.. they could have canceled his passport at the very least.

I hope nobody was infected by this guy, but it should be a wake-up call. I can't belive he won't be charged with anything.

[Netterz]

Yes it is a serious problem, on many facets. This man wasnt stopped from flying, and there is obviously a problem with international security. They didnt detain him,just flagged his passport, and supposedly placed him on 'no-fly' status. He escaped them so easily, and carrying a disease, fly 2 more times, and then was able to rent a car and get over the border back into the USA from Canada. I guess this shows up exactly how safe we really are in this war on terror. If he can do it, so can any terrorist, with much ease, carrying a fatal disease, or some other form of bioterrorism. Does anyone else see this as a problem, or is it just me? I can understand the man not wanting to be detained and quarentined in a foriegn country, and wanting to be treated at home, since its potentially fatal. I would feel the same way, as would mst anyone. Its the ease that he managed to slide thru what is supposed to be such hieghtened security, I feel incredibly safe now, dont you?

[Netterz]

And as far as charging him what can they charge him with when he wasnt technically doing anything wrong? Have to have a federal court order to quarentine some one against there wishes, and it wouldnt hold up in Italy, and would take time to push the italian courts to warrant him. Any good lawyer would make the court a laughing stock over the completely flawed system we live under anyways, he wasnt told he was dangerous, and if he is showing no signs of being ill AT ALL, how would you feel about it? Lab tests wrong, mistaken, when someone shows up in Italy to tell you your supposedly gravely ill with a serious disease....how was h supposed to know they were for real, not some sort of plot to lure him somewhere, anyone can get a uniform and make a fake ID. After all, the man is a Lawyer himself, what if it was ticked off client trying to do hi harm? I guess, put myself in his shoes, and most likely would have done the same thing. I a far more worried about the ease he escaped them, and travelled so easily, when every country arond th world is supposed to be in hieghten states of alert, and flagged passports and no-fly lists are supposedly top notch security, and were supposed to feel safe now, I sure as heck dont!!!!

[retmilspouse]

This guy is just an asss. He was told he had TB and not to fly, but did it anyway. The US authorities found him in Italy and told him to stay put and not to fly, he did it anyway. Even going so far as to change his flight back to the US via Canada, all under the guise that he wanted to be back home for better medical care. Also don't forget all the little flights he took within Europe. I agree that the lack of security in this case is very serious with agencies not communicating. But the bottom line is this guy is a representative of our courts and legal system who thought that he was better than all of us Joe Smucks out here in Anywhere, USA.

[fatherteresa]

The contaminated creep has escaped authorities before and will probably do it again. Why has his picture not been shown on the news? Why is he being protected and not the public? At least show his picture so when he again escapes, at least the people will keep away from him.

[prolegomena]

C'mon... tolerance, right?

We must tolerate and celebrate this man's infectious viral contamination, give him special rights and protections, declare him a hero, and make special laws just to ensure he can't be discriminated against. We must ensure that any information that comes out about his potential dangerousness and poor choices, not to mention his unhealthy disregard for the public, are squashed as hate speech, and anyone who dares raise a voice against him be labelled a TB-phobe.

Right?

[vancouverboo]

Another reason to shoot all lawyers.

[Netterz]

Given he is a lawyer, and more aware of his rights of privacy and protection, and there own screw ups by allowing him to leave the country the 1st place, they will be treating him well. Depending on his race, when he is exposed, will e a parade of activists of all sorts and types supporting him. Since they KNEW he was highly dangerously in a position to contaminate, and possibly start a plague, WHY, wasnt he placed in quarentine IMMEDIATELY?? Yes, he was selfish, yes, what he did was morally wrong. BUT, he broke no law. Welcome to the world we live in, where the "Greater good for your fellow man" is long gone. It is no longer about whats morally right or wrong, is about whether you can get away with it or not, there is no law. But I bet there wil be one flying thru congress, and on the books before long. The guy did us a favor in a way, by showing just how faulty our international security system is. Now we know exactly how UNSAFE we are.

[toldyouso21]

Health officials in France said they have asked Air France-KLM for passenger lists, and the Italian Health Ministry said it is tracing the man's movements.

******************************************

Yeah, right...not possible. The best you can get is where he stayed and if he used credit cards, where he purchased some stuff--but for the rest....

Did you get the time he and the little lady stopped at the Spanish steps and took pictures of another couple? Or how about when he did not want to finish a pastry and was going to toss it, when a little Gypsy beggar child asked for it by the Forum? Then there was the laughing so hard, till he started wheezing and coughing moment at the Trevi fountain when that kid fell in.....the man was a walking disaster. How about the sheets that the maid did not wash everday, but just shook them out and replaced them on the beds, replete with dried TB drool and particulate?

The fact is, when a person is given that much latitude, the way his movements are traced are if/when others come down with symptoms--because besides the people on the planes--there is NO WAY for them to know or trace who else the man came in contact with, under what circumstances and whether he coughed or did anything else to transmit the bacterium.

[retmilspouse]

OldThought,

"and there own screw ups by allowing him to leave the country the 1st place,"

I'm getting the impression that you think this is ultimately the US Governments fault. He was told not to leave the US. Most sane folks would have honored that request. But being that he is a lawyer I think he thought the rules did not apply to him and he could slide under the radar, and he did! Ever heard of sheister lawyer. I hate to call people names but this guy is looking like the typical stereo type more and more as this story unfolds.

[toldyouso21]

Since they KNEW he was highly dangerously in a position to contaminate, and possibly start a plague, WHY, wasnt he placed in quarentine IMMEDIATELY?? Yes, he was selfish, yes, what he did was morally wrong. BUT, he broke no law. Welcome to the world we live in, where the "Greater good for your fellow man" is long gone. It is no longer about whats morally right or wrong, is about whether you can get away with it or not, there is no law.Posted by OldThought at 10:59 AM : May 31, 2007

My impression is that the challenge tests for the bacterium (to see what strain it was and its resistance level) was still going on at the time of his flight. On the other hand, since he says he knew he had a resistant type and everyone knows this bacteria is airborne transmitted, it does beg the question of why they failed to quarantine him and not allow travel. They claimed they did not have legal jurisdiction, but if they could order him into the hospital in Rome and knew the same info--then they could have done so here. There may be the usual Laurel and Hardy bureaucratic screwwww up working here.

[toldyouso21]

I can understand the man not wanting to be detained and quarentined in a foriegn country, and wanting to be treated at home, since its potentially fatal. I would feel the same way, as would mst anyone. Its the ease that he managed to slide thru what is supposed to be such hieghtened security, I feel incredibly safe now, dont you?
Posted by OldThought at 09:49 AM : May 31, 2007


I can understand his feelings, but I also know that in the same place, I would have turned myself in in Rome like I was told to do--in fact, I would not have flown since I would have known that any TB is transmissible and no picnic to cure--and I would not have wanted to subject any other person let alone persons on several continents to that. But then, I have a conscience and do not think the world is all about me and my enjoyment.

[ssporleder]

He knew he had "something".

He says he is intelligent.

He was put on the NO FLY list - how'd that work out?

Wonder about others, more dangerous - 9/11 mean anything? - that are on that 'successful' list?

One, he was irresposnsible and selfish.

Two, the medical profession really dropped the ball big time.

Three, I cannot belive that in this day of amazing technology, he could not be found anywhere until he came into the US via Canada?

Does anyone else smell lawsuits that may not be all that frivolous for once?

[oneladymom]

DOES HIS WIFE HAVE TB?

[retmilspouse]

toldyouso21,
You have it right on the money. Also his story has several inconsistencies. At first he said he did not know he was contagious, even after they contacted him in Italy. Then in another sentence he says he was trying to get back to the US for better medical care. If you didn't know you were sick why would you need to get back here? He also should hope that his identity is kept quiet because this is really getting alot of people really mad right now. I would hate that some nut job tried to do something to harm him. Being stupid is not a death sentence. But I could see someone trying to take this guy out.

[ssporleder]

[e-mail]

This is the email address for the CDC - let them know your anger at their lackluster performance in either stopping this guy or finding him before he went halfway around the world!

[retmilspouse]

DOES HIS WIFE HAVE TB?
Posted by ONELADYMOM at 11:59 AM : May 31, 2007

The CDC said that she tested negative. But what is the incubation period after being exposed to TB? I don't really know the specifics and they did not say in the news conference on tv this am.

[retmilspouse]

ssporleder,
Your point about their performance with this situation is correct. But let's not get hyped up about that. He is the one in the wrong and trying to blame them on stopping him is like blaming the police on not preventing a bank robbery. Things slip through the cracks. I think they should use this guy as an example and show what can happen to you if you do not follow health mandated guidlines. We have a "pass the buck" attitude here in the US and it needs to stop.

[ssporleder]

contact.dhs.gov/

Here is the email for Homeland Security so that you can blast them for that effective NO FLY list that he got by!

[retmilspouse]

Dan9111,
Give us a break!!!!!! For once this site was being used for its intended purpose, to discuss the article and its following comments. Spew your government conspiracy theories somewhere else. Puhleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeez!!!!!

[holdenq]

I believe they can charge him with something. In the same way that an individual with aids who maliciously spreads this disease via sexual contact, this individuals knew that his disease was contaigious and communicable via air, fluids and more. So there should be a way to charge him.

As for the security aspect, there are many things to worry about in so far as planes go and they probably should have put a hold on his passport to end any chance of him flying, but what about personal responsibility. This guy felt that his honeymoon was more important than endangering the health of others. There would be a lot less evil in the world if each person took care of their own demons as opposed to assuming that the government can control the actions of every person.

And back to the first rant about the number of deaths by George Bush vs this. I understand Freedom of Speech, First Amendment and blah blah blah. No where in the first Amendment does it say freedom of stupidity. Don't attempt non sensical arguments in order to spread slanderous garbage about something you heard on FOX. Go read up on matters and make a real argument.

[ssporleder]

Posted by retmilspouse

THANK YOU - I also thought the site was doing well for a change and sticking to the sublect matter!

[soglow1]

If they allow thousands of illegals to come into this country unchecked for diseases, why on earth would anyone believe they would stop anyone from flying on a plane????

[connapa]

GOOD!! I'm glad they finally released the idiot's name. Now, everybody who was on all the flights that he was on have the correct name and spelling for when they file THEIR lawsuits and sue that idiot for emotional distress, among other things. I hope that lawyer has a good lawyer.

[toldyouso21]

"CBS News has learned the man with the extreme form of tuberculosis is Andrew Harley Speaker, a 31-year-old lawyer from Atlanta who attended the U.S. Naval Academy and graduated with both an undergraduate degree and law degree from the University of Georgia.

Speaker's case illustrates ongoing concerns about the public health perils of plane travel, as well as the continuing problem of Typhoid Mary-like individuals who can almost be counted on to do the wrong thing. "

They should add, then the carrier tries to deflect blame and pretend they are caring, when they are really azzzzholes. We had typhoid Mary, now here's TB Andy--hope he does not think this will make him a rock star--though some nutty tabloid will probably giving him money for his side of the story.

If anyone gets sick now--they can now sue him. He knew he was ill with a contagious disease--saying he did not know how ill is a wash after he was told in Rome--so with new information--he put others at risk.

And whether his wife has TB or not is irrelevant. It is the same with AIDS--some spouses got it and some didn't--but neither set could change the fact that their significant other was sick and had a communicable disease.

The man thinks he is famous, but it is NOT for anything good--he is a pariah and possibly, a liar.

[retmilspouse]

ssporleder,
You're welcome. I know I get kind of wordy with my comments sometimes on other stories when it comes to talking about the war and politics. But some of these folks try to bring it into every discussion.

[lawandorder6]

This guy needs to be jail "for life" I sure am glad he is not my lawyer.

[lorinkundert]

He probably won't see jail since that TB is 86% fatal. We can hope that there is a suitable punishment waiting for him at the end of the line.

[joefil-2009]

What makes this whole story even more disturbing is that a "so called" educated man, a attorney in fact, who had a full understanding of the implications of his actions willingly put the health of others at risk. And, lets face it, he knew he was told not to fly home but to report to an Italian Hospital and yet he flew to a third country and then snuck across the border? I hate to generalize but its not hard to see why attoreys have the reputation they do. This man should be prosecuted for reckless endangerment

[oleander8]

This story tells me the Department of Homeland Security is just another expensive bureaucracy

[portagent]

This jackass knew not to fly after being told not to. GEE, I wonder why they told me not to fly?
Am I on fire? NO !! Do I have TB? YES ! !

He chose to expose just like those passengers who show up for cruises and are identified by medical staff as being sick when they board and are told they need to stay in their room to avoid outbreaks. But they end up in public anyway, Why? Because they planned this trip months ago and no one is going to tell them what to do. They don't see a court order spelling it out. He should pay for this, and he knows it. He just did not want to lose his deposits.
I smell a class action from the passengers he knowingly exposed.

[oneladymom]

Posted by retmilspouse at 11:59 AM : May 31, 2007


He also should hope that his identity is kept quiet because this is really getting alot of people really mad right now.

I THINK IT'S TOO LATE.

[sevenveils]

What a Pompous Azz!
He risked others with no regard for their safety, including his bride, all to satisfy his own ego.

He should be charged and tried for his criminal negligence, something he knows all to well about.

I hope he spends many years of court time, as as defendant of multiple law suits for his disregard of safety of others, including those he potentially exposed in Greece and Italy.

[retmilspouse]

why on earth would anyone believe they would stop anyone from flying on a plane????
Posted by soglow1 at 12:34 PM : May 31, 2007

Because we can. I believe their first mistake was giving an otherwise intelligent human being the benefit of the doubt. We are to the point where some of our freedoms are going to have to be given up because of idiots like this. Next time they will jail the infected person and ask questions later.

[portagent]

This jackass knew not to fly after being told not to. GEE, I wonder why they told me not to fly?
Am I on fire? NO !! Do I have TB? YES ! !

He chose to expose just like those passengers who show up for cruises and are identified by medical staff as being sick when they board and are told they need to stay in their room to avoid outbreaks. But they end up in public anyway, Why? Because they planned this trip months ago and no one is going to tell them what to do. They don't see a court order spelling it out. He should pay for this, and he knows it. He just did not want to lose his deposits.
I smell a class action from the passengers he knowingly exposed.

[oneladymom]

He probably won't see jail since that TB is 86% fatal. We can hope that there is a suitable punishment waiting for him at the end of the line.
Posted by lorinkundert at 12:47 PM : May 31, 2007

I THINK YOUR RIGHT. I THINK IT'S TIME FOR PRAYER.

[kjmrn]

Why is there no reference to WHO he married???? Man???? Woman???? wouldn't that be the person MOST exposed to the TB? Why don't any of these reporters ask the question? Political correctness?

[heresmy2cent]

Wouldn't you know that this scumbag would be a lawyer?

Like all members of his profession, they only care about themselves.

Of course, he'll use this episode in his life to write a book and have a "made for TV" movie so he can make a handsome profit on this.

[ralan40]

I bet his wife wishes she was the "runaway bride", now. Seems he didn't care too much for her welfare, either.

[rgprescott7]

I do not understand the rush to crucify this man. To believe that he knew and was told that he was dangerous to others, you would have to also believe that he then choose to put his wife-to-be at the most risk. Moreover, I do not blame him for desperately wanting to get back to the U.S. Ask yourself: if your wife, husband, mother etc. just found out they had a fatal disease with a low survival rate, but they were not yet contagious or spreading the disease, would you want them to return to the U.S. for treatment?

[cpaide]

I smell a class action from the passengers he knowingly exposed.

Posted by portagent

Well, they need to get an attorney NOW and have a judge freeze his assets, so that life insurance, house, cash, investments, cars, etc. don't disappear into an offshore account and they can collect when he dies (this type of TB is 86 percent fatal).

Follow the new spouse, and you'll find the assets.

[wayiwalk]

To me what's really funny is he did all this in order to get married to someone; she probably knew he was ill, too.

Now, he%u2019s probably going to die, and possibly has infected others, who will sue him, but since he%u2019ll be dead, they%u2019ll probably go after his wife/money. What a nice wedding gift to her!

I guess he%u2019s better than a mom who loads her kids into the trunk of a car and drives into a lake, or a psycho that goes on a shooting spree and kills innocents, but not much!

[misslizzi]

First of all, HOW did CBS get this man's name?? Is it legal to release his name?

Secondly, let's not any of us kid ourselves! Most of us would do the same thing if we were stuck in Europe with a deadly disease. None of us would want to die away from home, if we knew that that was a possibility. Plus, we'd want to come back to where we believe we would receive the best care. Sure there are exceptions, but if caught in a situation like this, many of us would selfishly evade authorities to get ourselves back home sweet home, be it for the best treatment or for death.

[biglipzulu]

Hope this SOB dies. Selfish ***. It's self-centered American idiots like this who travel around the world andgive all Americans a negative image to the rest of the world. He should be shot if he does not die a naturally so others get the message that when you are told you have a seriously infectious disease and shouldn't travel, Dont!

[mike71067]

"Why is there no reference to WHO he married???? Man???? Woman????"
-Posted by KJMRN at 01:03 PM : May 31, 2007

Not to shock you, but a man cannot marry another man. Sure, there are folks who wish to call it marriage, but it's not.