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Authorities hunt 70-80 passengers who sat near TB patient on flights

HELEN BRANSWELL

Canadian Press

Latest comment posted at 3:00 AM EDT 31/05/07

Canadian officials dispute airline's claims it notified health officials of patient in advance of flight arrival in Montreal ...Read the full article

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  1. david sandford from Canada writes: what an assss, they should've dropped him out of the plane without a parachute.
  2. An Thornton from Canada writes: What a selfish, selfish man.
  3. Jay Cee from calgary, Canada writes:
    I don't understand how his wife is not infected? Seriously, could someone explain? TB vaccination?
  4. Cynthia Mm from Montreal, Canada writes: I agree, what a selfish pig. But, the reality is, transmission of diseasees such as this is a wake up call. As per my comment referring to Italy's tracing of this host, "The biggest question is, was he symptomatic? Was he coughing and expectorating? Hmm! Health promotion for travellors should be a must. As I commented yesterday, a full flight is a perfect breeding ground for bacteria and viruses. I think environmental health needs to be involved in the travel industry....for instance, swabbing a seat on the airplane will yield many bacertias and viruses! Weve been preparing for a pandemic for a period of time now. At first we thought it was SARS, then H5N1 virus, etc etc. The bottom line is there needs to be restrictions to symptomatic travellors to reduce transmission from a host overseas of some of these diseases in which many are drug resistant.....scary! I get uneasy everytime Im on a plane or a crowded place and someone is coughing their lungs out." Seriously, I hope this is an incentive for further environmental health and public health involvement in travel and quarantining symptomatic people prior to coming to Canada -- well even so, viruses such as influenza are contagious prior to symptoms showing. People in general need to be less greedy and stay home when they know they are infected with any dsieases that are airborne.
  5. Charles Brown from Vancouver, BC, Canada writes: Never imagined someone could be this selfish and stupid He should have been arrested in Italy and confined. On the other hand, don't expect the airlines to do anything to improve their standards.
  6. Rona Baird-Zundel from Arvida, Canada writes: An independent body should look into CSA Czech Airline's contention that its pilot notified Canadian health authorities prior to landing in Montreal as well as Health Canada's assertion that such notice was never received. The system failed in this case. This modern version of Typhoid Mary was able to fly and drive wherever he wished. First, his name should be published. If someone who knowingly has AIDS and engages in unprotected sex, that person is liable for a criminal act. This fellow has done the same thing in a number of countries and has placed many people at risk.
  7. Globular Cluster from Canada writes: I don't see why this is headline news...It's pretty low on the list of earth-shattering events. Maybe this man was not infectious, as in coughing, in which case, he may have exercised his own judgement as to whether it was worth the risk to others of him taking the trip. The doctors that advised him were probably looking at the worst-case scenario. I don't know, I'm saying IF. The article does not mention enough details for us to judge.
    I hope this man recovers fully.
  8. An Thornton from Canada writes: Globular Cluster- I know that you're trying to show the other side, but if the CDC are calling this guy in Italy and telling him not to fly, which he did, it's well beyond exercising your own judgement.
  9. david sandford from Canada writes: globular cluster...LOW ON THE LIST OF EARTH-SHATTERING EVENTS??? it's news because TB is one of the most infectious and deadly diseases in the world today, especially the drug resistant type which this selfish villiage idiot had and I think anyone on that flight would want to know this.
  10. Dan Tsai from Canada writes: Any lawsuits yet by those affected by this man's actions? That would seem to be the next step.
  11. rahim ladha from Montreal, Canada writes: So let me get this straight, we give Americans list of all risk candidates who board fligthts to Canada and US and they couldn't inform us about a irresponsible selfish self centered American who used Canada and people in the plan for selfish reasons. Interesting

    He avoid to fly directly to US as he is on no fly list (American govt demand list of all passengers before the board for a flight to US) so he decides to use CANADA as a means to go home, happy to infect Canadians with his disease

    Is there no law against this in Canada? I know people who knowingly infect others with HIV can be persecuted, why not this, he could have very well put lives of dozens in danger. What a moron, Canadian government should launch a criminal case against him
  12. Michelle Stickan from Canada writes: Globular Cluster, as david sanford mentioned, TB is one of the most infectious and deadly diseases today. Not only that, but even though a person is not exhibiting typical symptoms (i.e. hacking a lung out) said person can still be considered a "carrier" and can still infect others. Furthermore, your wish for this moron to make a full recovery will never happen as you can NEVER GET RID OF TB. It is a chronic illness. It has dormant and active stages. If his doctors advised him not to travel, he should not have been so selfish as to put others at risk.
  13. Norman Dupuis from Calgary, Canada writes: Considering I can identify myself at an automated airport check-in station with a credit card that wasn't used to book my flight, I don't think "hunt" is the appropriate verb.
  14. gord winters from Canada writes: Dan Tsai, i'm sure there will be lawsuits, but i've heard the man speak. i doubt there is much of his to fight over. maybe the airlines.
  15. Lewis Bartholomew from Vancouver Island, Canada writes: A. Typhoid Mary wasn't sick, she was just infectious. It took some time to find her, then keep her confined. This didn't stop her from moving about and working under different names. This man should be put in isolation and then charges brought against him in all the countries he just "dropped in on". Mary didn't realize it was her that was causing the problem. This man willfully knew he was infectious and still had enough funds to fly around the authorities.

    B. Since the government seems to have lost all communication with the funeral expenses of a soldier in another article, maybe they lost this communication as well. After what we have seen coming out of the mouths and offices of the New government, it wouldn't surprise me that they were told but chose to ignore it because they were too busy putting together attack ads and photo ops.
  16. J.C. Davies from Canada writes:
    "I don't see why this is headline news...It's pretty low on the list of earth-shattering events."

    Another deadly disease potentially introduced into Canada with dozens of people potentially infected, sure beats Lindsay Lohan's latest escapades.
  17. Ben Laliberte from Canada writes: Dear CATSA (Canadian Air Transport Security Authority),
    Can I pay a little more ATSC (Air Travellers Security Charge) to ensure I do not have to sit beside dangerous morons.
  18. Canadian Eh from Canada writes: He should be charged with attempted murder or at the very least assault. He knew he was ill and still travelled.
  19. gary blades from Halifax, Canada writes: A contingent of Al-Queda recruits could be in Africa at this very moment deliberately infecting themselves with this deadly strain of bacteria. Soon they will could be wandering up and down the aisles of aircraft the world over sneezing and coughing on as many passengers as possible thereby opening a whole new chapter of terrorist warfare. After all, if terrorists are willing to blow themselves up for their cause they would certainly be willing to become infected with a deadly bacteria to further their cause. If one infected man can cause such a panic, imagine what thousands could do...
  20. Eric Kirkpatrick from Vancouver, B.C., Canada writes: Last night on ABC's nightly news they quoted American health authorities as saying anyone who came in contact with this person needed to be found and checked out. Mean while on Global, they were quoting Canadian Health authorities as saying it wasn't that contagious and only those who were in contact for a long period were at risk such as those who sat 2 rows fore and aft of the passenger needed to be checked, as the aircraft air filtration system would trap the disease. What do you do?
  21. M. Mark from Victoria, Canada writes: He should be criminally charged because he was told by authorities not to fly and he deliberately put others at risk. I believe a person with HIV (or even just pretending to have HIV) can be charged if they threaten to inflect somebody else. I don't see any difference here.
  22. Anthony B from Sydney, NS, Canada writes: No doubt there will be calls for tighter border controls to prevent more of these TB Terrorists from entering the US from Canada. "Passport and Health Card, please, and step over here for your chest X-ray."
  23. Jim Shepherd from Lima, Peru writes: Tuberculosis still kills 2 million people per year, about one third of the World's population test positive for the TB bacillum, and 8 million new active cases are reported per year, according to the Canadian Lung Association: www lung.ca

    TB has been treatable since antibiotics were introduced circa 1938, and even the drug resistant varieties are now about 68% curable (but at 10 times the cost).

    People that live in squalor (third world countries, prisons, or reservations) have historical reported TB incidence rates between 10 and 100 times higher than average Canadians.

    There are 10,000 year old skeletons in Peru with indications of TB, probably brought over from Asia during the last ice age, and not from Europe, as portrayed by Hollywood, and certain Activists.

    Considering that TB has been the leading fatal disease for most of the history of mankind, and has been treatable for the past 70 years, it is not that much of a problem in modern Canada.

    TB should have been eliminated in North America 50 years ago, but that would involve eliminating the persistant carriers, of whom there are millions. Best Regards.
  24. David R from Canada writes: What this man did is no different than someone infected with HIV having un-protected sex. Sure maybe the people will be lucky and not anything, but will go though years of not knowing tests. This man should be in jail, so he will have time to learn from his mistakes.
  25. Tony Burson from Toronto, Canada writes: As usual the shout is for a LAW. Everyday local councils pass laws, Provincial Legislatures pass laws, Federal governments pass laws. Who polices the laws that they all are so busy passing, no one it's impossible to do.
    Get a life folks, people will do what they want when they want and there is little or nothing you or I or anyone can do to stop them. Getting on a plane and sitting next to or close to someone with a transmittable disease is a gamble as is getting on the bus or subway and having the same situation. It is called living and as we all crowd into cities and confined spaces the chances of contracting a disease increase.
    It is one of the risks we take everyday of our lives, as to a law, I'd ban anyone with a head cold from traveling on public transit, but then who would uphold the law.
  26. Carmel Andrews from Canada writes: Well, then general consensus is obvious. This was a selfish man, with no regard for other people's health. He didn't even has his new wife's welfare on his list of priorities, so how could he be expected to care about others? When he was advised in Italy to turn hismelf over to the authorities, he was fully aware of the gravity of this situation. Sneaking into Canada, he was quoted as saying that he and his wife were scared during the drive to the US that they were going to get caught. Criminals are afraid of getting caught. That is what this man is. He should be charged with endagering the lives of others. Some people have compared him to an HIV infected person. I liken him to an impaired driver. He got into a vehicle(al beit an aircraft), and turned himself loose on hundreds of people to might have to pay the price for his lack of control or concern for others. Some people are blaming the airlines. Short of giving every passenger a full and complete medical exam at the gate, how does one propose to ensure that passengers are fit to fly? As a crew member, I am exposed to just about every disease there is flying around out there. We are sneezed on , coughed on, thrown up on, and happily thank people for giving us their garbage and saliva laiden glasses and trash . The airlines policy is that we are not to use latex gloves for picking up garbage, as it "looks bad" , and may give people the wrong impression. If the wrong impression is that I am going to take care of my own health, and I can't trust others to do the same, then so be it.
  27. Paul, Bytown, from Canada writes: Let's hope this idiot will be put on a Canadian no fly list and banned from ever coming into Canada again. Except maybe to face prosecution.
  28. Carly MacKay from United States writes: OMG!!! Not going for medical treatment - not going to a funeral even (but he may the cause of a few people's funerals) - BUT GOING ON A HONEYMOON! Selfish is an understatement! Carmel Andrews made a great point, the pilot should have notified the Department of Health while they were still in the air (I do not believe him when he ays he did) - BUT this is almost exclusively the fault of one individual. Hope he is sent to prison for this. Hope the people who flew in the same plane as him are ok too. Boy, there are more and more reasons not to fly everyday.
  29. Jim Shepherd from Lima, Peru writes: I wonder how many of the Posters should be charged, considering that about one third of the World's pouplation test positive for the TB bacillum, few will ever develop symptoms, and could be considered to be potential carriers of the disease themselves.

    Prior to the introduction of antibiotics, about the only way to control TB was to exterminate the likely carriers of these generally poverty-related diseases, but we now live in the 21st Century, and such Draconian measures are no longer required. Best Regards.
  30. Carl C. from Montreal, Canada writes: This guy should go to jail .... Simple. The worst is that I'm sure a lot of other people would have done the same as him.... We are in a selfish world... so this does not surprise me at all.

    @Eric Kirkpatrick from Vancouver: Never trust Health Canada, I'd trust on health issues the American authorities anyday...
  31. Jim Shepherd from Lima, Peru writes: Carl C.: There are perhaps a million people in Canadian prisons and reservations that are high risk TB and AIDS carriers.

    What do you suggest doing with them all, except for medically treating them? Or do you prefer a more Draconian method, such as putting them all to the sword? Best Regards.
  32. Inga Himeson from Pineville, Canada writes: If this guy is really a carrier of an incurable strain of TB, and he knew about it, and he purposely avoided authorities traveled halve way around the globe, then he is worst than a suicide explosive belt carrier terrorist, and law agencies should deal with him accordingly. Especially since he declared himself to a paper as: ''I'm a very well-educated, successful, intelligent person. . . ''
  33. Jim Shepherd from Lima, Peru writes: Inga: "Drug resistant" does not mean uncurable.

    It means that it costs 10 times more to cure, takes 18 months instead of 12 months, and the cure rate is about 68%.

    Considering that TB has been around for about as long as mankind, and has killed more people than anything else, this is not a new problem.

    TB is treatable, and it is a good idea to treat as many of them as early as possible around the World to reduce the risk from entering Canada, including the US.

    In short, it is no big deal, probably a slow news day at CP. Best Regards.
  34. Inga Himeson from Pineville, Canada writes: Jim Shepherd wrote: ''Drug resistant does not mean incurable. . . ''

    Sorry, I am not an authority on TB. Just looked up FAQ on XDR- TB at: WHO, World Health Organization’s web
    http://www.who.int/tb/xdr/faqs/en/index.html

    To the question: ''Can XDR-TB be cured or treated?''

    Their answer is:
    ''Yes, in some cases. Several countries with good TB control programmes have shown that cure is possible for up to 30% of affected people . . .''

    This means, ''Drug resistant'' or XDR- TB up to 30% (25%, 20%,. . ) of the cases can be cured, or there is 70% (75%, 80%,. . . ) or grater chance that it is incurable. In my humble opinion this fact alone does not mitigate the seriousness of the crime.
  35. Jim Shepherd from Lima, Peru writes: Inga: Lima has the most advanced TB R&D in the world, partially financed by $44 million from the Bill Gates Foundation, and largely because we have a serious problem down here.

    If you get a drug resistant strain, your chances of being cured in Peru are about double what they are in the US, and 68% is on the low end of the scale (itis currently around 84%).

    I often spend the night sealed in a bus moving around Peru, and yes, I am routinely exposed to many diseases that would make most Canadians cringe.

    Perhaps every 5 years I encounter something that my natural defences cannot handle, and a couple of broad-spectrum antibiotics such as Amoxycillin has probably saved my life more than once.

    You get sick, you deal with it, preferably immediately.

    You might be a carrier of TB yourself, without your even knowing it.

    Would this be a reason to put you on a no-fly list or in jail? Best Regards.
  36. p m from vancouver, Canada writes: Health Canada strikes again with their up to date procedures and timely policies.
    How did they drop the ball this time?
  37. jiri Z from Canada writes: Anything is possible - and probable - in our new bold world of political correctness.

    Many innocent people have to die before we do anything right.

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