“My defense of the TB guy has drawn a lot of traffic and some of the comments imply my view is colored by a case of misplaced compassion. Since I’m a physician I won’t shy away from being called compassionate. Whether true or not in my case, it is a desirable trait for a doctor and nothing to be ashamed of. However I don’t think my opinions about this case are due to sentiment. I would defend them on the grounds they are sound judgments of a public health professional. Since I am unlikely to convince the doubters by repeating my arguments (you can find them at these links), I will do something else. I’ll let other public health professionals repeat my arguments.”

The pseudonymous blogger goes on to provide other physicians’ and health professionals’ reactions to the furor over TB Guy’s actions, here:

http://scienceblogs.com/effectmeasure/2007/06/the_tb_guy_others_weigh_in.php#more

I’m with Madeleine on this one.

He did know he had TB when he left the states. He doesn’t deny that.

And the reason he flew back to the US via Canada was that the C.D.C. TOLD HIM while he was in Europe that he had the XBR form. They also told him not to fly — which he did anyway. (He was told to check himself into a hospital in Rome.)

He ran back to the US like a scared little baby, utterly indifferent to anyone else’s safety.

In one of their interviews, Speaker and the new Mrs. Speaker whine that the C.D.C. had abandoned them because they told him to stay off airplanes and check himself into a hospital. They wanted a military transport back to the states since he wasn’t supposed to fly commercial.

Excuse me, but what a couple of assholes.

The more I think about this case, the more pissed I get.

I’m all for individual rights, but when you willfully endanger other people because you don’t want to check into a hospital in Rome and then complain because you’re being confined in a hospital here — well, fuck your rights. You’ve abdicated them.

Two years in the hospital? Add on another couple in jail, to my mind. And divorce on top of it. (Yes, I find this unforgiveable.)

As several locals noted, if his name were, say, Guillermo Hernandez and his skin tinted a bit, he would be getting the reaction he deserves.

He’s lying, of course, but that’s rather beside the point.

When Jack got TB, everyone who had been close to him had to be tested, and several people had to get shots for the next year just from having been exposed.

The odds of someone getting the full infection may be rather low, but those eight-hour seat neighbors are likely going to have some painful tests in their near future. And their paramours. And any infants, etc.

It’s an UGLY vector.

And, considering that he doesn’t sound poor, what kept him from acquiring a hazmat suit and doing the whole thing proper and careful?