CDC: 107 people on TB flights need tests

[Autumn2004]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070601...s_infection;_ylt=ArBsfYww.70y64Up3jpMmwFH2ocA

"He was told in no uncertain terms not to take a flight back," said Dr. Martin Cetron, director of the CDC's division of global migration and quarantine. Cetron said Wednesday that in conversations between health officials and Speaker before the flight, "they clearly told him not to travel," but "there were no legal orders in place preventing his travel, and no laws were broken."

Speaker, his new wife and her 8-year-old daughter were already in Europe when the CDC contacted him and told him to turn himself in immediately at a clinic there and not take another commercial flight.


Jason Vik, a 21-year-old business student also on the flight, said he had been through the same emotions Speaker named and was treated like an outcast. During a television interview, the people doing his makeup wore face masks, he said.


"There are lot of people that are just afraid of us. It's ridiculous and ignorant," he said.


Asked about the apology, Vik said, "People have to still remember that this is going to affect us for the next five, 10 years of our lives because we're going to have to keep getting tests even if we're negative just because we were on the plane with this guy."











It's their own fault for leaving the country and knowing he had tb. They could have postponed wedding plans, to me its another case of a single mom taking the new to be husband over her daughter. Their is no way I would take a chance on my 8 year old daughter contracting this since they were not taking any precautions and no treatment was under way even if they werent sure it was active. She is just as bad as he is in my eyes and thought nothing of the possible life threatening decisions she was taking and her child might develop tb from this.

I feel so bad for all the people who had close contact with him, they are going to have deal with this for the next 10 years possibly because of him. If it was me and I had to deal with this , I would sue him in a heartbeat just for the anguish and cost alone.

 

[Glow]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070601...s_infection;_ylt=ArBsfYww.70y64Up3jpMmwFH2ocA



Jason Vik, a 21-year-old business student also on the flight, said he had been through the same emotions Speaker named and was treated like an outcast. During a television interview, the people doing his makeup wore face masks, he said.


"There are lot of people that are just afraid of us. It's ridiculous and ignorant," he said.


Asked about the apology, Vik said, "People have to still remember that this is going to affect us for the next five, 10 years of our lives because we're going to have to keep getting tests even if we're negative just because we were on the plane with this guy."
[/I]

yep...Jason Vik is going to sue...

 

[englishleigh]

yep...Jason Vik is going to sue...

And if he does, I don't blame him!!!

 

[Glow]

If someone actually developed TB then that would not be nearly as ambiguous to me. The way it stands now what does one sue for exactly? Is it for something that "might' happen? Is it for the fact that one has been made to worry? How many of us are put in that position everyday for one reason or the other? Should we sue if we had to worry?

If even half of the people involved sue, what kind of impact does that have on an already clogged judicial system? What if they lose? Who is out of pocket then? And for what?

What if they win? He is a lawyer but he is young, I would imagine he has barely paid off his student loans that got him through law school let alone his mortgage and so on. Where is his "deep pocket"? His dad? The family law firm? Would individuals hiring lawyers to go after assets that are not directly Speakers but are vulnerable because of him, be as guilty of lacking in "kindness towards others" as they perceived Speaker to be in his original action of getting on a plane?

And even if we were to be able to answer all of those questions in a morally clear way, what if no one ever develops TB from this incident. How would we answer the same questions?

 

[accordn2me]

If someone actually developed TB then that would not be nearly as ambiguous to me. The way it stands now what does one sue for exactly? Is it for something that "might' happen? Is it for the fact that one has been made to worry? How many of us are put in that position everyday for one reason or the other? Should we sue if we had to worry?

If even half of the people involved sue, what kind of impact does that have on an already clogged judicial system? What if they lose? Who is out of pocket then? And for what?

What if they win? He is a lawyer but he is young, I would imagine he has barely paid off his student loans that got him through law school let alone his mortgage and so on. Where is his "deep pocket"? His dad? The family law firm? Would individuals hiring lawyers to go after assets that are not directly Speakers but are vulnerable because of him, be as guilty of lacking in "kindness towards others" as they perceived Speaker to be in his original action of getting on a plane?

And even if we were to be able to answer all of those questions in a morally clear way, what if no one ever develops TB from this incident. How would we answer the same questions?

These are all good questions, Glow. I wonder how much Andrew Speaker's partnership in his father's law firm is worth? Also, I wonder if the people he flew from Europe back to Canada with (when he definitely knew what he had) would be entitled to more of a settlement than the people he flew from the US to Europe with?

Anyone who has the right to sue this guy, and wants to sue him, should do it. However, the guy, Jason Vic, that decided to go on national television shouldn't be whining about people being scared of him. What does he expect? It's not his fault he was exposed....but he exposed himself to the rest of us!:boohoo:

Where's this 10 year time coming from? Is that how long it could be before a person who was exposed to Speaker develops TB? Wouldn't the statute of limitations have run out on suing long before then?

 

[Buzz Mills]

If someone actually developed TB then that would not be nearly as ambiguous to me. The way it stands now what does one sue for exactly? Is it for something that "might' happen? Is it for the fact that one has been made to worry? How many of us are put in that position everyday for one reason or the other? Should we sue if we had to worry?

If even half of the people involved sue, what kind of impact does that have on an already clogged judicial system? What if they lose? Who is out of pocket then? And for what?

What if they win? He is a lawyer but he is young, I would imagine he has barely paid off his student loans that got him through law school let alone his mortgage and so on. Where is his "deep pocket"? His dad? The family law firm? Would individuals hiring lawyers to go after assets that are not directly Speakers but are vulnerable because of him, be as guilty of lacking in "kindness towards others" as they perceived Speaker to be in his original action of getting on a plane?

And even if we were to be able to answer all of those questions in a morally clear way, what if no one ever develops TB from this incident. How would we answer the same questions?

His wife's assets are only liable for the flights they made after the wedding; it was only then that she became a partner in crime. I would imagine his father is busy protecting any assets that Andrew, and his wife, may have.

 

[Autumn2004]

What if they win? He is a lawyer but he is young, I would imagine he has barely paid off his student loans that got him through law school let alone his mortgage and so on. Where is his "deep pocket"? His dad? The family law firm? Would individuals hiring lawyers to go after assets that are not directly Speakers but are vulnerable because of him, be as guilty of lacking in "kindness towards others" as they perceived Speaker to be in his original action of getting on a plane?

He is an adult supposedly of sound mind, being a lawyer I know he knew this might result in lawsuits. After all he sues many people all the time over situations like this, Im sure it affects their life too and yet he does it.

 

[Buzz Mills]

yep...Jason Vik is going to sue...

Probably along with many others. The CDC itself, may become liable, along with the Border Patrol..

 

[Autumn2004]

Probably along with many others. The CDC itself, may become liable, along with the Border Patrol..

I hope the border patrol isnt in trouble, its the idiot's fault who let him in. He should be held liable.

 

[JBean]

If someone actually developed TB then that would not be nearly as ambiguous to me. The way it stands now what does one sue for exactly? Is it for something that "might' happen? Is it for the fact that one has been made to worry? How many of us are put in that position everyday for one reason or the other? Should we sue if we had to worry?

If even half of the people involved sue, what kind of impact does that have on an already clogged judicial system? What if they lose? Who is out of pocket then? And for what?

What if they win? He is a lawyer but he is young, I would imagine he has barely paid off his student loans that got him through law school let alone his mortgage and so on. Where is his "deep pocket"? His dad? The family law firm? Would individuals hiring lawyers to go after assets that are not directly Speakers but are vulnerable because of him, be as guilty of lacking in "kindness towards others" as they perceived Speaker to be in his original action of getting on a plane?

And even if we were to be able to answer all of those questions in a morally clear way, what if no one ever develops TB from this incident. How would we answer the same questions?

Hi Glow. IMO, there is no damage yet; nor will pain and suffering fly at this point. the only people that will successfully sue are those that actually contract TB.
Maybe the cost of the TB tests on a regular basis can be recouped, but beyond that there are no costs associated with this yet. Unless they can show some true physical damage,that leads to true pain and suffering, I don't think this will have any legs at all. However, I can see somehow preserving rights to sue down the road, should anyone turn up positive.JMHO of course.

 

[Jules]

You see Paris Hilton, I see Jenna Jamison.

:waitasec: I see Diane Sawyer... :waitasec:

 

[Buzz Mills]

Timeline of Speaker's TB Odyssey

December 2007: Andrew Speaker, a 31-year-old lawyer from Atlanta, gets engaged to girlfriend Sarah Cooksey, a law student.
[Source: ABC News]

January 2007: Speaker suffers a fall and goes to the doctor, worried he has bruised a rib. Doctors X-ray his chest and find an abnormality that requires further testing. These tests reveal that he has tuberculosis, though he shows no symptoms.
[Source: ABC News]

May 11, 2007: Speaker and Cooksey, his fiancée, are about to leave on a trip to Europe for their wedding and honeymoon when health officials meet with Speaker to urge him not to travel. Speaker did not think the warning was very serious. "They said, 'We would prefer you not to go on the trip,'" he says. "And that's when my father said, 'OK, are you saying because he's a risk to anybody or are you simply saying it to cover yourself?' And they said, 'We have to tell you that to cover ourselves, but he's not a risk.'"
[Sources: ABC News, Denver Post, CNN.com, 11Alive.com]

To reiterate the warning, Fulton County health officials try to deliver a letter to Speaker saying, in part, "It is strongly recommended that you postpone your travel and see a specialist in Denver, Colo." The letter never reaches Speaker, because he has already left for his wedding.
[Source: CNN.com]

May 12, 2007: Speaker and Cooksey had flown from Alanta to Paris on May 12 aboard Air France Flight 385, also listed as Delta Air Lines codeshare Flight 8517, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. [Source: ABC News]

May 14, 2007: Speaker and Cooksey fly from Paris to Athens, Greece. [Source: CDC]

May 16, 2007: Speaker and his wife fly from Athens to the Greek Islands, Athens to Thira Island May 16.[Sources: ABC News, CDC]

May 18, 2007: Speaker is contacted by the CDC and advised not to travel because updated test results show that he has XDR-TB, a much more dangerous and drug-resistant strain of the disease than anyone had initially thought.[Source: ABC News]

Mykonos Island to Athens May 21, where they are married on the island of Santorini

May 21, 2007: flies to Rome where he is again warned by the CDC not to fly on a commercial aircraft due to the nature of his disease. Speaker and his family say they asked the CDC for help in getting him home, because it would have cost him $100,000 to fly back on a noncommercial airline. The family maintains that the CDC offered no help to arrange alternative transportation for Speaker to get back to the United States.
[Source: ABC News, CDC]

May 24, 2007: Panicked, and convinced that he will die if he does not reach the tuberculosis clinic in Denver, Speaker Speaker Instead, on May 24, he flew from Rome to Prague on Czech Air Flight 0727, then flew to Montreal aboard Czech Air Flight 0104 and drove into the U.S., according to CDC officials. He then drives from Canada to the United States, where he is stopped at the border in Champlain, N.Y. A computer alert warns the border inspector to stop him from entering the country, but the inspector, believing Speaker looks healthy, disregards the warning and lets him through.
[Sources: ABC News, CDC]

May 25, 2007: Speaker checks himself into a New York hospital where he is put in isolation.
[Sources: CNN.com, washingtonpost.com]

May 28, 2007: He is flown on a CDC plane to Atlanta, where he is placed under government-ordered isolation.
[Sources: Rocky Mountain News, CBS4 Denver]

May 31, 2007: Speaker is flown to the National Jewish Hospital in Denver, which specializes in TB treatment, where he remains in isolation. He is the first person infected with TB to be put in isolation by order of the U.S. government since 1963.

http://www.abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=3235763&page=1

 

[accordn2me]

I think the timeline should include his trip to Vietnam. Isn't that where they think he caught TB?

Also....does anyone else find the "bruised rib" excuse for the chest X-ray to be suspicious?

 

[MSM]

Is it possible for the other passengers to sue him for "emotional distress" or something, while they are waiting for their test results?

It is so ironic that this personal injury lawyer is now in the position to be on the receiving end of multiple personal injury lawsuits...if it wasn't such a serious situation for the other passengers I'd be having a moment of schadenfreude (sp?)...

 

[MSM]

I think the timeline should include his trip to Vietnam. Isn't that where they think he caught TB?

Also....does anyone else find the "bruised rib" excuse for the chest X-ray to be suspicious?

Thanks for the timeline Buzz, it's nice to see it all laid out.

I don't think his chest x-ray story sounds too strange...it's not all that uncommon for one seemingly routine diagnostic test to find an unrelated abnormality that then sets off another workup. They probably meant to say a broken rib, not a bruised rib. The whole story is weird, though. For a young healthy lawyer to get pulmonary XDR TB is bizarre. Makes me not want to travel to southeast Asia, if that is indeed where he got it.

 

[accordn2me]

Thanks for the timeline Buzz, it's nice to see it all laid out.

I don't think his chest x-ray story sounds too strange...it's not all that uncommon for one seemingly routine diagnostic test to find an unrelated abnormality that then sets off another workup. They probably meant to say a broken rib, not a bruised rib. The whole story is weird, though. For a young healthy lawyer to get pulmonary XDR TB is bizarre. Makes me not want to travel to southeast Asia, if that is indeed where he got it.

But, even if they meant to say that he was worried that he had a broken rib.....it's not like they could put a cast on it! What could they do for it? Bruised or broken.....don't you just have to let it run it's course?

 

[Autumn2004]

If its a minor break it can be left alone and your just told to take it easy. It can be taped too. If its a major break where there are sharp edges and chance of a lung being punctured then you might have to have it wired.

thanks buzz for the timeline, its nice to get a full perspective of the events.

Msm- Im not sure on emotional distress, I hope their can be a decision made to the statute of limitations on this case so years later it can be brought to court if needed. I would imagine the costs of these tests might be brought up.

Does anyone know the statute of limitations on this kind of a lawsuit? I know there have been others in regards to hiv/aids being spread intentionally.

 

[Buzz Mills]

If its a minor break it can be left alone and your just told to take it easy. It can be taped too. If its a major break where there are sharp edges and chance of a lung being punctured then you might have to have it wired.

thanks buzz for the timeline, its nice to get a full perspective of the events.

Msm- Im not sure on emotional distress, I hope their can be a decision made to the statute of limitations on this case so years later it can be brought to court if needed. I would imagine the costs of these tests might be brought up.

Does anyone know the statute of limitations on this kind of a lawsuit? I know there have been others in regards to hiv/aids being spread intentionally.

I've broken a few ribs in my life, and it just knocked the wind out of me; as soon as I was able to start breathing again, I was pretty much OK, as long as I didn't sneeze, or laugh. However, I took a nasty fall down the steps from my bedroom, in the morning when I first got up--my socks slipped on the hardwood floor, just as I was getting ready to take that first step, right at the top of the stairs. I managed to catch the metal railing on the right, at the edge of the bedroom, and I hit on my ribs on my right side, towards my back. It was quite a ride. My right arm was severely bruised, from hitting the railing, and the stairs, and I was stretched out, trying to slide downstairs, and I couldn't roll, to either my right, or far enough to my left, to catch the bannister, to enable me to get my feet to catch on the stairs; my ribs (multiple) felt as if they were broken. So, not being able to do anything, I had to let go, and slide the rest of the way down the stairs. There 17 stairs on that staircase; I was counting them one bump at a time on the way down, cringing each time I did.

Surprisingly, once I was able to get up, and started breathing again, I was OK........................

That was until about 7:00PM that evening when I did something, and all of sudden, I had this level 10 pain, with cramping of my my right side, lower rib cage. After about 20 minutes of, totally out of control pain, and after 2 minutes of respite, it happened again for another 20 minutes. I decided that I needed to go to emergency--thought of 911 but I didn't want the embarassment; I was even embarassed, to have to tell anyone about falling down the steps.

I was in emergency all night, X-rays, Catscan, and lots of morphine. Just before my catscan, because I still couldn't relax my right side, they gave me a triple shot of morphine, and after that, they gave me prescriptions for some heavy duty pain pills, and muscle relaxants, and told me I couldn't leave, and had to call to have someone come and pick me up, at 5:30AM. After about 10 minutes, I told the watchdog nurse, that my ride was on its way, and I was just going to run--LOL, I could barely walk, down to the pharmacy, and she nodded OK, and so after I got my prescription filled, I just snuck on out to my car.

That was great pain medication. I felt sore every morning for a week, or so, but it wasn't bad. The medication was set up as 2 pills day for a week, one pill a day for another week, and then a half a pill for another week. The day I stopped the medication I got another sharp pain, but it only lasted for five seconds, or so. So, I was very careful to protect that area, for a couple of more weeks, and I only had a few mild tinges.

I am very careful at the top of those steps now; I leave my socks, and my bedroom sheepskin boot slippers downstairs now, and have, ever since that time.

One of the tough lessons of life.

 

[JBean]

I've broken a few ribs in my life, and it just knocked the wind out of me; as soon as I was able to start breathing again, I was pretty much OK, as long as I didn't sneeze, or laugh. However, I took a nasty fall down the steps from my bedroom, in the morning when I first got up--my socks slipped on the hardwood floor, just as I was getting ready to take that first step, right at the top of the stairs. I managed to catch the metal railing on the right, at the edge of the bedroom, and I hit on my ribs on my right side, towards my back. snipped for space.

Boy, I remember that Buzz.

 

[Buzz Mills]

Boy, I remember that Buzz.

check this out!!

http://www.websleuths.com/forums/showthread.php?t=49964