US tuberculosis patient moved to Denver hospital
<noinclude>
{{date|May 31, 2007}}
[[Image:Mycobacterium tuberculosis 8438 lores.jpg|thumb|right|Mycobacterium tuberculosis.]]
__NOTOC__
A [[United States]] man, identified recently as 31-year-old Andrew Speaker from [[w:Fulton County, Georgia|Fulton County]], [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]], has left [[w:Grady Memorial Hospital|Grady Memorial Hospital]]. Officials have confirmed that he was transported on a chartered [[w:Learjet|Learjet]] overnight to [[Denver]], [[Colorado]]. He is now at the [[w:National Jewish Medical and Research Center|National Jewish Medical and Research Center]], which specializes in respiratory, immune system, and allergy research and treatment. 

The National Jewish Medical and Research Center was founded in 1899 to treat tuberculosis, and is today considered one of the world's best medical research and treatment centers. It is a non-sectarian institution but received funding from [[w:B'nai B'rith|B'nai B'rith]] until the 1950s. <!-- info from Wikipedia -->

Meanwhile, [[w:Centers for Disease Control and Prevention|Centers for Disease Control and Prevention]] (CDC) has released the complete itinerary of the patient, who travelled to [[Europe]] while infected with [[w:Extensively drug resistant tuberculosis|extensively drug resistant tuberculosis]] (XDR-TB).

Speaker, an Atlanta-based lawyer, travelled on the following flights, according to the CDC: 
{| border="1" align="center" style="border-collapse: collapse; padding: 2px; font-size: smaller; border-style: 1px solid #ccc;" 
|-
! Airlines !! Flight# !! Date !! Departing !! Scheduled Departure || Calculated Scheduled Duration !! Arriving !! Number of Passengers !! Patient Seat Row Number  
|-
| [[w:Air France|Air France]] / [[w:Delta Air Lines|Delta]] || 385 / 8517 || 5/12/2007 || {{w|Atlanta, Georgia|Atlanta}}, Georgia || 8:45 PM Local || 8 Hr 27 Min || [[w:Paris|Paris, France]] || 433 || 30 
|-
|Air France || 1232 || 5/14/2007 || Paris, France || 7:35 AM Local || 3 Hr 11 Min || [[w:Athens|Athens, Greece]] || unknown || unknown 
|-
|[[w:Olympic Airlines|Olympic Air]] || 560 || 5/16/2007 || Athens, Greece || 7:25 PM Local || 0 Hr 40 Min || [[w:Santorini|Thira Island, Greece]] ||  unknown || unknown 
|-
|Olympic Air || 655 || 5/21/2007 || [[w:Mykonos|Mykonos Island, Greece]] || 1:45 PM Local || 0 Hr 40 Min || Athens, Greece || unknown || unknown 
|-
|Olympic Air || 239 || 5/21/2007 || Athens, Greece || 5:30 PM Local || 2 Hr 05 Min || Rome, Italy || unknown || unknown 
|-
|[[w:Czech Airlines|Czech Airlines]] || 727 || 5/24/2007 || [[w:Rome|Rome, Italy]] || 8:50 AM Local || 1 Hr 55 Min || [[w:Prague|Prague, Czech Republic]] || unknown || unknown 
|-
|Czech Airlines || 0104 || 5/24/2007 || Prague, Czech Republic || 12:25 PM Local || 8 Hr 25 Min || [[w:Montreal|Montreal, Canada]] || 191 || 12 
|}
<br>
[[w:United States Department of Homeland Security|US Homeland Security]] has said it will launch an investigation into CDC officials' handling of this case, which has created an international health incident. The investigation will look into whether the man should have been placed in quarantine and under guard before he had the opportunity to fly to [[Europe]].

Speaker was put on a no-fly list and had his passport flagged. Nevertheless, he still managed to fly to [[Canada]] and then drive a car across the border into the United States. A border agent, who has since been suspended from duty, ignored a warning on his computer to put on protective gear and detain Speaker.

Speaker's father-in-law, Bob Cooksey, is a 32-year veteran of the CDC, where he works in the CDC's Division of Tuberculosis Elimination. In a statement issued through the CDC, Cooksey said that although he routinely works with infectious organisms including TB, he was not the cause of his son-in-law's TB.

"As part of my job, I am regularly tested for TB. I do not have TB, nor have I ever had TB," said Cooksey. "My son-in-law's TB did not originate from myself or the CDC's labs, which operate under the highest levels of biosecurity."

{{haveyoursay}}
===CDC phone number for public inquiries===
<center>{{PhoneContact|The CDC manages a toll-free phone number for public inquiries.<br>
:The public inquiry number is 1-800-CDC-INFO}}</center>

==Related news==
*{{Wikinews|title=US places man with TB under quarantine, launches search for contactees|date=May 30, 2007}}
== Sister links ==
{{sisters
|wikipedia|2007 tuberculosis scare
}}
==Sources==
*{{source|url=http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070531/ap_on_re_us/tuberculosis_infection
|title=TB patient ID'd as Atlanta lawyer
|author=Greg Bluestein, AP
|pub=Yahoo News
|date=May 31, 2007}}
*{{source|url=http://www.ajc.com/health/content/health/stories/2007/05/30/0531meshcdctb.html
|title=Infected man moved to Denver
|author=Alison Young and Mike Morris
|pub=The Atlanta Constitution-Journal
|date=May 31, 2007}}
*{{source|url=http://www.cnn.com/2007/HEALTH/conditions/05/31/tb.flight.ap/index.html
|title=TB patient moved from Atlanta quarantine
|author=
|pub=CNN
|date=May 31, 2007}}
*{{source-pr|url=http://www.cdc.gov/tb/xdrtb/caseflighthistory.htm
|title=Flight Itinerary of U.S. Traveler with Extensively Drug–Resistant Tuberculosis
|pub=Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
|date=May 30, 2007}}

==External links==
*[http://www.cdc.gov/tb/xdrtb/ Extensively Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis], CDC Division of Tuberculosis Elimination

{{publish}}
[[Category:Disease]]
[[Category:Health]]
[[Category:North America]]
[[Category:Canada]]
[[Category:United States]]
[[Category:Colorado]]
[[Category:Georgia (U.S. state)]]
[[Category:New York]]
[[Category:Europe]]
[[Category:Czech Republic]]
[[Category:France]]
[[Category:Greece]]
[[Category:Italy]]
[[Category:Athens, Greece]]
[[Category:Denver, Colorado]]
[[Category:Centers for Disease Control and Prevention]]
[[Category:Infectious disease]]
[[Category:Atlanta, Georgia]]
[[Category:Fulton County, Georgia]]


{{Archived}}
</noinclude>
Mycobacterium tuberculosis.
__NOTOC__
A United States man, identified recently as 31-year-old Andrew Speaker from Fulton County, Georgia, has left Grady Memorial Hospital. Officials have confirmed that he was transported on a chartered Learjet overnight to Denver, Colorado. He is now at the National Jewish Medical and Research Center, which specializes in respiratory, immune system, and allergy research and treatment. 

The National Jewish Medical and Research Center was founded in 1899 to treat tuberculosis, and is today considered one of the world's best medical research and treatment centers. It is a non-sectarian institution but received funding from B'nai B'rith until the 1950s. 

Meanwhile, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has released the complete itinerary of the patient, who travelled to Europe while infected with extensively drug resistant tuberculosis (XDR-TB).

Speaker, an Atlanta-based lawyer, travelled on the following flights, according to the CDC: 

 Airlines 

 Flight# 

 Date 

 Departing 

 Scheduled Departure 

 Calculated Scheduled Duration 

 Arriving 

 Number of Passengers 

 Patient Seat Row Number  

 Air France / Delta 

 385 / 8517 

 5/12/2007 

 Atlanta, Georgia 

 8:45 PM Local 

 8 Hr 27 Min 

 Paris, France 

 433 

 30 

Air France 

 1232 

 5/14/2007 

 Paris, France 

 7:35 AM Local 

 3 Hr 11 Min 

 Athens, Greece 

 unknown 

 unknown 

Olympic Air 

 560 

 5/16/2007 

 Athens, Greece 

 7:25 PM Local 

 0 Hr 40 Min 

 Thira Island, Greece 

  unknown 

 unknown 

Olympic Air 

 655 

 5/21/2007 

 Mykonos Island, Greece 

 1:45 PM Local 

 0 Hr 40 Min 

 Athens, Greece 

 unknown 

 unknown 

Olympic Air 

 239 

 5/21/2007 

 Athens, Greece 

 5:30 PM Local 

 2 Hr 05 Min 

 Rome, Italy 

 unknown 

 unknown 

Czech Airlines 

 727 

 5/24/2007 

 Rome, Italy 

 8:50 AM Local 

 1 Hr 55 Min 

 Prague, Czech Republic 

 unknown 

 unknown 

Czech Airlines 

 0104 

 5/24/2007 

 Prague, Czech Republic 

 12:25 PM Local 

 8 Hr 25 Min 

 Montreal, Canada 

 191 

 12 

US Homeland Security has said it will launch an investigation into CDC officials' handling of this case, which has created an international health incident. The investigation will look into whether the man should have been placed in quarantine and under guard before he had the opportunity to fly to Europe.

Speaker was put on a no-fly list and had his passport flagged. Nevertheless, he still managed to fly to Canada and then drive a car across the border into the United States. A border agent, who has since been suspended from duty, ignored a warning on his computer to put on protective gear and detain Speaker.

Speaker's father-in-law, Bob Cooksey, is a 32-year veteran of the CDC, where he works in the CDC's Division of Tuberculosis Elimination. In a statement issued through the CDC, Cooksey said that although he routinely works with infectious organisms including TB, he was not the cause of his son-in-law's TB.

"As part of my job, I am regularly tested for TB. I do not have TB, nor have I ever had TB," said Cooksey. "My son-in-law's TB did not originate from myself or the CDC's labs, which operate under the highest levels of biosecurity."
Disease Health North America Canada United States Colorado Georgia (U.S. state) New York Europe Czech Republic France Greece Italy Athens, Greece Denver, Colorado Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Infectious disease Atlanta, Georgia Fulton County, Georgia