TB Patient: "I'm Very Sorry"

Atlanta Attorney With Dangerous Strain Of Tuberculosis Says CDC "Abandoned" Him In Europe

(CBS/AP) 
The unidentified inspector explained that he was no doctor but that Speaker 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.

A barrage of criticism was posted Thursday on the Web site of a Georgia newspaper that carried Speaker's engagement announcement and allows outsiders to post comments.

Under a picture of the smiling couple on the Appen Newspapers Web page, a person signed as 'Concerned Citizen' wrote: "Warned not to fly but just put your personal pleasure above the safety of other passengers. I hope you get sued by potential victims for your actions."

Lawrence Gostin, a public health law expert at Georgetown University, agreed with those who feel Speaker has exposed himself to possible litigation.

"There are a number of cases that say a person who negligently transmits an infectious disease could be held liable," he said.

Perhaps the most significant legal issues in Speaker's case concern the federal quarantine law, and the difficulty federal health officials had trying to learn the identities of those who were exposed to Speaker, Gostin said.

The quarantine order was the first issued by the federal government since a patient with smallpox was isolated in 1963, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

CDC officials have been requesting changes in the nation's antiquated quarantine laws to gain easier access to airline and ship passenger lists, provide patients a clearer appeals process when subjected to quarantines and give health officials explicit authority to offer vaccinations and medical treatment to quarantined people.

In the past week, Speaker was quarantined in New York City and then again — under guard — at an Atlanta hospital. The quarantine order was not approved by a judge, but rather issued under the CDC's administrative powers.

There's a reason for that, Jacobson said: In certain rare instances, such action is deemed necessary to avoid legal delays in rapidly protecting the public from a disease-carrying person.

While Speaker was still in Atlanta on Wednesday, a CDC official said Speaker had the right to request an administrative hearing to appeal the quarantine order but had not. (On Thursday, Speaker was flown to a Denver hospital, where he is no longer under guard.)

The legal rights of a quarantined person, including the right to request a hearing, are not clear under current law, Gostin said. Some legal scholars said the absence of clear guidelines could lead to a legal tangle that might stall government quarantine actions during an outbreak of pandemic flu or other contagious diseases.

Speaker can challenge the constitutionality of the quarantine order, and might even be able to seek a federal payment for damages, Gostin said.

Airlines can be slow to hand over passenger information because of concerns of violating customer privacy. It was not until late Wednesday that the CDC got full information from Air France about U.S. passengers on Speaker's May 12 flight from Atlanta to Paris.

One proposed change in the law would require airlines and cruise lines to electronically submit passenger and crew lists to the CDC upon request.

[gunnerone2]

I agree with most of the post here. Mr. Speaker put everyone around him in danger and " I am sorry " won't cut it. He should be charged for all expenses by the government and individuals for his actions. No one should be out a dime for his actions. If he infected anyone then he should be charged with attempted murder. He knew better and didn't care.
As far as the border patrol agent who let him through, he should lose his job. He wasn't paid to ignore warnings and directives from the government.

[ronright]

In my opinion, the actions by Andrew Speaker are outrageous. I think he should be prosecuted by Dept. of Homeland Security as a bio-terrorist. After he learned of the severity of his condition, he put large numbers of the public at risk by traveling back to the U.S. He apparently intentionally evaded the authorities to get back to America because he "was afraid he would die." Give me a break! It's not like Italy is a third world country without modern healthcare. This punky lawyer thinks the rules don't apply to him. He should do 25 years to life for his actions!

[slim1h2o]

Rudy, This medical system does suck here, done nothing for me.

[slim1h2o]

You're right ERASMUS,

I would'nt forgive him eithere, if he got down on his knees , I would kick him.

You infect others, you deserve to die, or worse.

I was infected by one of my coworkers & hadn't worked in 2 yrs, after spending 2 yrs prior going to the docs for help, & getting harrased at work for doing so.

Naw,... He needs to be shot, not by me though, I'm to sick

[rudy654-2009]

"Mr Speaker said he feared being treated in an Italian hospital.Of course I'm not here to judge his opinions, nor to criticize.However, I'd like to point out that, according to World Health Organization, Italy's health care system is ranked 2nd best in the world, while the U.S. are placed 37th"

No doubt he bought into the stupid propaganda that tells us that the US health care system is the best in the world and people are just rushing over here from Western Europe to benefit from it, and that national health coverage in Italy and other western nations let's their people die while waiting in line. If he believed that kind of stupid propaganda, no wonder he was "snuck" back in to the US.

[rudy654-2009]

"Do you think there is no cause for alarm?"

Not to the degree I see here. The man is being controlled and the facts are that the risk of exposure was very, very low. Stop acting like chickens with your heads cut off. Like a mob ready to cut loose. I am more afraid of your mob like hysterics than I ever will be of this man and his virus.

[erasmus6]

No, "I'm so sorry" doesn't cut it. He needs to get down on his knees and BEG for forgiveness. Of course even then I wouldn't forgive him.

What I have found over the years is that people that are selfish like this, never learn from their mistakes. I bet you if he could do it over, he would do the same thing again.

[oneladymom]

I HAVE READ XDR CAN NOT BE CURED, THEN YOU PICK UP ANOTHER ARTICAL AND IT SAYS IT CAN IF IT'S IN THE EARLY STAGES, GIVE ME A BREAK.. NON OF THESE PEOPLE OR DOCTORS KNOW.. THEY TOO ARE GOING ON PURE SPECULATION AND IT SICKENS ME TO KNOW THESE DAYS THAT YOU CAN GO TO THE DOCTOR AND COMPLAIN ABOUT CHEST PAINS AND COME OUT WITH A LEG AMPUTATED. I AM PURELY DONE. GOOD BYE

[oneladymom]

DON'T WE ALL LIKE BEING MISINFORMED THE MARRIAGE DID NOT GO THROUGH BECAUSE THEY DID NOT SUBMITT THE CORRECT DOCUMENTS. SHAME. WE DON'T KNOW IF HE IS MARRIED OR IF HE HAVE THE STRAIN OF XDR OH MY GOD AND EVERYONE'S BLOOD IS BOWLING OVER NON FACTUAL EVIDENCE.

[slim1h2o]

Janem,

I know you are being sarcastic, but the only one's responsible is his doctors and him.

They should have put him in the hospital immediately, and not let him walk out of the building. And him for Breathing HaHaHahahaaha

[erasmus6]

rudy654

Actually I think you are one of the ones whose brain ain't workin'.

Do you think there is no cause for alarm?
Do you think that this person should get away with this?
I will agree that there are some people that get carried away but overall I think that most are just very concerned and have every right to be.

[retmilspouse]

gottotellya,
This person must be a troll. No one is this ignorant. An elementary school child could read this story and comprehend the facts. He is just totally misrepresenting the facts stated in the article. OMG

[erasmus6]

"...was originally diagnosed with the infection overseas and told he could not travel to U.S. with TB." posted by gottotellya."

Am I missing something or is this person crazy?

[retmilspouse]

gottotellya,
Hey read the story. Can you read English? He was diagnosed here at home, was told to postpone his wedding in Europe, he didn't and flew there anyway. The US officials contacted him on his nice vaca and finally caught up with him in Italy, it was there that they told him to stay put and check in with Italian authorities. He didn't so he did a little sneak through back home via Canada after being warned not to fly trans Atlantic. All he had to do was follow orders and would have been put back on a MedEvac flight to the US. Most of our citizens who find themselves in similar situation overseas have done in the past. Read the article and try to comprehend it.

[retmilspouse]

gottotellya,
Is this a joke? The facts of this story is nothing like what you are commenting on here. He was not in another country helping sick people he was on a flambouyant vaca honeymoon.

[slim1h2o]

Way to go Susan, and Rush well said!

[slim1h2o]

You right Rush!

gottotellya is one of them,, HaHaha

[susanhelit]

gottatellya - if you don't want his disease, why do you think it's OK for him to have spread it around, when he knew he was both extremely sick, and contagious? As to the rest - you obviously haven't even read the story. He was in Italy, on his honeymoon, and there were excellent hospitals he could go to there, until a safe flight could be arranged for him.

He was told he was contagious, with a deadly, drug resistant disease. He was ordered to go to a hospital, and told not to fly, that he was so far forbidden to fly that he was on the Do-Not-Fly list. At that point, right there, he chose to ignore all of this, to risk the lives of every single person he came anywhere near, and go fly and drive around, rather than go to the hospital where he could be prevented from passing his disease on.


We may be lucky. It may be that all the hundreds of people he exposed were healthy enough to fight the illness off. That doesn't mean he didn't commit a crime - if you fire a gun at a bunch of people, and miss, you did commit a crime. But even if we are so very lucky, all these hundreds of people have had to be tracked down and tested, have to spend 2 months worrying, waiting for the second test.


He did plenty wrong - ethically, legally. He's a lousy selfish egotistical jerk who decided his wishes came above anyone else's life. He belongs in jail.

[rushlimpdrug]

"This guy was not careless"
Posted by gottotellya

Are you crazy? or rather, You are crazy.
Plez tell me you live in Atlanta that way I can easily avoid getting a case of dumbazz.

[gottotellya]

I listened to his personal testimony and it is true that he was diagnosed in Atlanta but he was originally diagnosed with the infection overseas and told that he could not travel to the US with the TB. I would not like to be in his medical condition or to have caught it. I also would not like to have a lot of diseases but can empathize with him and his new wife wanting to seek out treatment. I don't think you need to call this guy a piece of *** for seeking medical treatment. This guy was not careless and even the people who were sitting close have testified that now that they understand the situation more they accept what he did. All I am saying to you is read up a bit more on this story. Initially it appears terrible but I would do the same if it were my child or myself needing help.