WASHINGTON — For the second time this year, the federal government has failed to stop a man infected with a dangerous strain of tuberculosis from traveling to and within the United States.
U.S. officials this spring were unable to catch a Mexican man infected with the disease because the doctor treating the man did not know his real name, according to an official who was briefed on the incident but requested anonymity because the official was not authorized to discuss it publicly.
The Mexican national traveled to the United States 76 times in the past year, even though Mexican and U.S. authorities knew he was infected with a contagious strain of tuberculosis. However, the Mexican clinic that had been treating the man, which is affiliated with the Texas Health department, unknowingly provided a fake name to U.S. authorities, the official said. The Washington Times first reported the episode in Thursday’s editions.
The man crossed the U.S. border 21 times between April 16 and May 31. However, the man used his real name and real travel documents when traveling, according to Customs and Border Protection spokesman Michael Friel. The Centers for Disease Control would not provide the man’s real or fake names for privacy reasons.
Remember Andrew Speaker? He was the guy who had the seriously infectious and drug resistant strain of TB and flew and drove back to the U.S. from Europe. The CDC raised all hell along with the media and Congress.
Why hasn’t this happened here?
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