[photo courtesy of chaojikazu]
The news about the man infected with a rare form of extremely contagious Tuberculosis (TB!) has been abuzz for a couple of days now – and it got weirder and weirder. I’d wanted to post about it because although he was advised to stay home and not travel, he traveled anyway and was on a flight from Atlanta to Paris and has most possibly infected passengers on that plane (May 12, Air France, Flight 385). The story weirdly continues as he’s later reported to have flown from Paris to Athens (to get married), then Athens to Rome (for his honeymoon), then he and his new wife escaped avoided the Italian health authories who were on their way to his Rome hotel by flying from Rome to Prague. Then, they flew from Prague to Montreal , Canada (because his passport had been redflagged in the U.S. – May 24 Czech Air Flight 104), then they drove from Montreal to New York in a rental car – but then flew from New York back to Atlanta (in a CDC Jet). The Center for Disease Control (CDC) is concerned that he’s infected quite a number of people on those flights, not to mention his WIFE! and the people who were in close proximity to him at any of those locations and everything in between! The CDC recommends that passengers near the infected man receive TB tests as a precaution. (Airlines will be contacting those passengers.)
As an alarmist and paranoid person, I can’t help but realize that he was in Rome the same time as we were!!! Why didn’t he just stay put?! Geez.
UPDATE: It turns out that this guy’s father is a microbiologist specializing in rare TB cases at the CDC! Let’s guess where he contracted the disease … Oh and the guy has apologized. Pff.
Links: TB Patient Passengers Sought in Tuberculosis Probe, US Seeks Fliers Possibly Exposed to Rare TB, AJ
10 Comments so far
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I just saw this on ABC and am totally shocked! I’ve heard that the form of TB that he has is incurable..He should be slapped with many law suits as well as the trout! I hope you and your significant other will be okay!
Comment by Kat 05.31.07 @ 4:10 amNot to cause alarm but there are probably a fair number of people with active TB who travel because they haven’t been diagnosed.
Obviously this guy is a different situation, he knew about his TB and traveled anyway but the point being that travel involves risks. This one is rarely discussed but is a very real danger whether it be TB or something even more serious.
Comment by T-dawg 05.31.07 @ 10:41 ami’m sure we’ll be fine, kat (knock on wood!)
oh t-dawg. now i REALLY feel better 
I was on some Airfrance flights last week— scary stuff that this guy basically was spreading his germs about knowingly! grrrr. Hope that Rome was fun for you, I love Italy.
Comment by riana 06.01.07 @ 2:58 amDamn… here in Italy we would do something different to this man if we found out… not a large trout but something more close to a medieval spiked mace…!
Bah, some people really SUX!
and now the infected guy is wondering why everyone is talking about him like he is a terrorist…oh, but if the doctors had told him to stay home he would have…
Comment by Kat 06.01.07 @ 8:53 ami’m with you, tigue and riana. italy is so amazing.
jack!! i heard you were in rome about that same time hee, italians don’t mess around – but i’ve always wanted to get a mace too bwahahahaaaa. i’m italian at heart? forza!
kat, the story is just plain bizarre!
Comment by ptinfrance 06.02.07 @ 6:18 amwell, he’s supposed to have apologized, so now everything is supposed to be all better…sigh.
Comment by Kat 06.02.07 @ 6:33 amhow selfish! he clearly knew he was infected as he went to such radical exstremes to avoid authorities. i’m glad i have my tb injection, but i guess he had a different strain. Everytime I fly I get sick. I have to have those awful 24 hour flights from Australia so I was thinking the next time I fly getting one of those masks, like the Japanese wear in the subway..but people will think I’m a total freak..
Comment by rochelle 06.04.07 @ 10:04 pmLeave a comment
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