|
June 8th / 10th, 2007
"TB or Not TB"
Last week a very stupid, very inconsiderate, and very dangerous man boarded
a transatlantic flight knowing that he had infectious tuberculosis. He flew
from Atlanta to six different countries, including Paris, where he took a
bride. He also visited Rome where Georgia health officials caught up with him
via cell phone and told him to report to a U.S. Embassy hospital for
isolation. TB man (his identity was initially protected by patient privacy) refused
to go to the hospital, and continued to elude authorities as he globetrotted
his way back to Canada, then rented a car and drove into New York state.
The infected man, who we now know as Andrew Speaker, claims he was never told
not to travel, but that’s like a drunk telling police he didn’t know he wasn
’t supposed to drive while intoxicated. Over 80 passengers and nearly 30
crew members are being tested for TB, and those are just the folks we know had
contact with Speaker. Who knows how many people were exposed to him in the
six countries he visited.
Back here in the land of the free, people are screaming for justice, even
calling for Speaker to do jail time. Such punishment would not be without
precedent, given that we can imprison a terminal AIDS patient for deliberately
and maliciously infecting an unknowing victim. At any rate, the TB man’s
behavior has served to point up a number of problems.
First of all, where was Homeland Security throughout this saga? Health
officials knew that Speaker had TB , yet no one prevented him from traveling in
the first place. Only after he was overseas did the government put him on a
no fly status. Of course, once that was done, there were more foul-ups,
including a border inspector ignoring computer transmitted instructions to
detain Speaker.
The implication is that America is so inept at inter agency cooperation and
communication that Osama Bin Laden could easily recruit a martyr to infect
himself with a deadly virus, then enter the U.S. unabated where he can kill
thousands of people.
While searching the internet for more information on this column, I came
across an unrelated yet ironic story. In late August of 2006, an Orthodox
Jewish man was removed from a commercial airliner because the flight attendant
mistook his demonstrative praying as some sort of terrorist ritual. The crew
later apologized to the man for their ethnic blunder. Anyway, I feel safe
knowing that commercial airlines are protecting me from a praying man who might
convert me, but don’t care to protect me from an infected man who might kill
me.
Andrew Speaker, the airlines, health officials, and Homeland Security all
have a lot of explaining to do, but this debacle has also served to remind us
of another health and safety problem, that of recirculated air in commercial
jets.
Years ago, airlines routinely pumped 100% fresh air into the cabin. But
newer planes now re-circulate as much as 50% of cabin air in order to save
on fuel. Conservation is a noble cause, but I’d rather use more fuel and not
be sick.
However, according to a
November, 2006 report by ScienceBlog.org, the mixture
of fresh to re-circulated air is only part of the problem. Cabin air also
contains ozone, as well as vapors from hydraulic fuels and engine oils.
These, combined with low humidity significantly reduce overall air quality. Add
to that reduced oxygen levels while flying at high altitudes, and we’re all at
greater risk of getting sick, especially people with heart and lung
problems.
An August 2002 study published by the Journal of the American Medical
Association disputed that any of these factors contribute to a higher incident of
colds and viruses, and, instead attribute such illnesses to dry air
conditions. But that study didn’t take into account people with infectious diseases
coughing and sneezing on or near other passengers. Clearly, we now know the
risks of air bourne bacteria in commercial jets, the spread of which is aided by
the circulation system inside planes. What many of us might not know,
however, is that while we continue to be exposed to all sorts of diseases, pilots
are fully protected. That’s because the FAA mandates that cockpits have a
separate ventilation system that can pump in 100% fresh air. But shouldn’t
passengers be afforded the same protection as pilots? According to the Air
Travelers Handbook website, pilots on some planes can actually control the mix
of fresh to re-circulated air for the rest of us, but choose not to do so.
Last week’s TB incident should be a wake-up call for all of us, and it
should prompt swift reform in a number of areas.
First, Congress should make it illegal to travel through, or exit or enter
America if you have been diagnosed with an infectious disease. Further
penalties and even prison time should be added if the traveler deliberately eludes
authorities.
Second, Homeland Security must revamp its communications process with local,
state, Federal, and International health officials, and commercial airlines
should have immediate access to that information.
Third, acting on that shared data, airlines should restrict any infected
passenger from boarding a plane. Moreover, the airlines should detain anyone
who displays obvious symptoms of cold or flu, and restrict them from travel.
If you are coughing or sneezing uncontrollably before you board, you have no
business flying, and that includes infants and children. It is unfair and
even dangerous to fellow passengers.
Fourth, the FAA should require all airlines to return to the old system of
pumping 100% fresh air into cabins, so there is less risk that passengers
will catch colds and viruses from other people. Again, I don’t care how much
more fuel has to be expended to provide fresh air, our health is more
important.
Finally, I’m tired of how the names of idiots and criminals are always
protected. We hide the identity of kids who murder because they are just kids,
and now, the man from Atlanta can expose hundreds of people to TB, but we can’t
expose his identity because of patient privacy laws? Anyone who flaunts the
law and travels about freely infecting other people must forfeit his or her
right to privacy. In fact, I’d like to go one step further. I think we
should mandate that these reckless individuals wear a scarlet letter ”A” on
their chest at all times. The letter “A” would stand for “A_ _hole”.
Granted, it’s a crude method, but at least we’d know who to protect ourselves
from.
One final note about that Orthodox Jewish man who was ejected from a plane
for praying. He’s the lucky one. Next time I board a plane and see some guy
coughing on me, I’m just going to start praying so that the flight attendant
will remove me, and hand me over to Homeland Security. I might spend the
night in jail, but at least I’ll breathe a little easier.
|
|
|
