Patient at low risk of spreading TB, doctor says
‘he man infected with potentially fatal tuberculosis is receiving treatment at a Denver, Colorado, hospital as federal health officials continue to track down airline passengers who may have been exposed to the illness.
The man has been identified by multiple medical and law enforcement sources as Andrew Speaker, 31, a lawyer from Atlanta, Georgia.
Speaker’s father-in-law works for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, an agency spokesman said Thursday.
The father-in-law, Robert C. Cooksey, is a microbiologist who has conducted research on tuberculosis for the National Center for Infectious Diseases, according to a CDC biography posted on the agency’s Web site.
CNN affiliate WSB-TV reported that Cooksey gave his son-in-law “fatherly advice” after he found out Speaker had contracted the infectious disease, but did not advise him in any official capacity.’
Followup to Man knew he had TB before flying to Europe.
