Held Captive By TB — And The State

(CBS)  Locked inside the Maricopa County Hospital's jail wing since last summer, Robert Daniels has not been convicted of a crime. CBS News correspondent Sandra Hughes reports.

"I am like an inmate. But the problem is that I can't even take a shower. I can't even clip my nails or have a haircut," he said.

He's isolated inside a windowless room because he has a form of drug-resistant tuberculosis. Authorities won't say if it's the same strain of TB as Andrew Speaker's.

"I can't look out the window, no walks or anything like that. I'm just being here 24/7 in this room," Daniels says.

Health officials took Daniels into custody after he repeatedly went out into this neighborhood without a face mask. They put him the only place equipped to handle his rare disease: the jail ward of the hospital. And while he is getting medical treatment — though not to the level of Speaker — his attorney says he's being treated more like a criminal than a patient.

"Even prisoners on death row get the opportunity to exercise their legs more than Robert," says his attorney, Nancy Cosme.

County officials concede the forced confinement is unusual, but necessary

"It is absolutely a public health responsibility to prevent others from being infected with what could be a life threatening disease," says Bob England of the Maricopa County Medical Department.

Daniels was first diagnosed with tuberculosis while living in Russia with his wife and son. He came to Phoenix looking for treatment last year.

Drug resistant forms of tuberculosis such as Daniels' have developed over time because some patients stopped taking their antibiotics before an entire prescribed cycle was complete.

And if more people like Daniels and Andrew Speaker ignore the rules, some fear a return to the days of quarantining patients in sanitariums, which was done prior to the use of antibiotics.

For Robert Daniels, that day is here.

"We'll do everything we can to protect the public. And if this is one way to protect the public, (to) keep this guy off the streets, we'll always have room," says Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio.

Daniels' only escape now: three tests in a row proving medication has his disease somewhat under control.

[susanhelit]

This poor guy sounds so lonely, they should at least give him a roomate! Maybe even a couple. How about Andrew Speaker, his tape recording father, and his 'fatherly advice' FIL.

[rushlimpdrug]

1. How anyone can defend these two fools only proves there are more fools like them around us all.
2. And for the myopic fools that believe all this comes from Mexico. Perhaps you may wish to consider a disease free country like China, or Russia, or the Continent of Africa.
3. Also, I noticed Speaker son and father mention Vietnam. What gives? Can't these idiots take personal responsibility for their stupidity?
Someone sue them to the poorhouse pleeezzz.

[ralan40]

The problem isn't so much that he flew to Europe with this disease. It is that once he knew this was serious, he exposed himself TO AS MANY PEOPLE AS HE COULD in his secretive return to the US.

All you Iraq- obsessed people--you have plenty of places to post your comments about THAT. Please do so and leave this for comments about the subject at hand....or get professional help regarding your OCD regarding foreign-policy issues.

[michellem99-2009]

I think if a person is told to take meds and not stop for health reason take them. My friend was hospitalised and I visited him and this was in 97. Due a person's selfishness, my friend was strung and could have died. I wore their groves when in hospital to see him. He is still here.
Don the mask if told to. I would rather they do.
Wash your hands properly. Use common sense.

[susanhelit]

Knowing what happens when you don't complete a full course of antibiotics, I have naturally never failed to complete them.

Which is still a lot different than getting on an airplane, knowing you have a deadly disease that you could be spreading.

[aajjsister]

Have you noticed the national attention is on this very hard to spread disease rather than the thousands who are being killed in Iraq? Perhaps this is meant to turn our attention away from the war and boost the ratings of the President. As a health care professional I know this whole thing is being blown way out of proportion. Why? These sick people are being treated like criminals. If we are going to do this to these people it is only right we round up everyone and test them for HIV. If they are infected we must quarantine them so they can't possibly have *** with anyone or expose them to any of their body fluids. We should treat all deadly infectious diseases the same. Wouldn't this be just? More reasonably, how about treating the disease, educating the population and not treating sick people like criminals.

[estuardo40]

Another round of 'chicken little & the sky is falling'. How many here have NEVER completed their full course of anti-biotic therapy? And because of that, we have resistant strains of bacteria that require expensive, and very harmful antibiotic medications, because someone, somewhere decided they had their fill of their therapy. Everyone here, including myself, has done something so selfish, that it caused inconvenience, or injury to another. Possibly death.
We want to stand on our 'moral soapboxes', but a society refusing to accept any moral absolutes, leads to this very thing happening.
Be upset all you want, but it solves nothing, and we get nowhere. And the only time we care about selfishness, is when we see it in someone else.

[oleander8]

To "janem4" - Is there nothing you cannot pontificate on?

[linfinster]

Posted by rudy654 at 12:48 AM : Jun 03, 2007
+ report abuse


You are very right Rudy, people need to come down a notch or two to understand this human for his human emotions. There must be a better place to put him. I am angry that he went outside and risked others lives.

[susanhelit]

Life matters more than 'feelings'. If I had this, I'd stay away from everyone, as miserable as it would be, it'd be a billion times better than the guilt of maybe exposing someone else, or worse, killing them if they died.

Being willing to kill to just stretch your legs - that is the definition of being selfish.