There's this
news item about a person with drug resistant TB and the corresponding
reaction.
I wonder about the "panic."
Unless that fellow was coughing and spitting continuously all along his trip, he cannot transmit the disease. In addition,
full blown TB (active disease) occurs only if a person's immune response is weak. It is estimated that only 10% of those infected develop active disease. And only 25% of those in a household get infected (definitely a lot less if one just spent a plane trip beside the infected person). (On the other hand, if the concern is that serious, why only the plane passengers? how about all the other people he had contact with in his trip? -- Not that I'm recommending it. I'm just pointing out the inconsistency in their thinking.)
So I really wonder about the apparent panic and fear being sown by the reaction -- tracing the man's fellow passengers in both flights and having them tested.
All this in spite of the obvious admission by authorities that the risk of infection is low. Is there some new TB drug or testing procedure that has to be marketed or something?
:x
This looks like an extreme attitude that is behind, and can bring up,
hygiene disease.
Having been raised in the Philippines, I most likely have immunity to TB from natural exposure. A benefit of not having
hygiene disease. Maybe that's why I'm not in panic mode. 8)
Gerry
Tuberculosis "panic"???
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