TB is Not Alone

Tuberculosis is not on the only global infectious disease that merits attention. In fact, almost all disease that can be transmitted should be looked at. These diseases range from TB, AIDS, Avian Flu, and even, the flu. Why should any individual endanger another?

The flu is an infectious disease from which we cannot seem to break away. Each “flu season,” people rush in to get their shots to protect themselves against this deadly outbreak. In response to this, “the White House released the Implementation Plan for the National Strategy for Pandemic Influenza, which reiterates the importance of state and local preparedness; clarifies roles and responsibilities; and includes information, guidance, and recommendations for preparedness. While preparedness may seem largely a public health responsibility, law enforcement has a very critical role in the response to these incidents.”

This brings about a new question. What is the role of the government in deadly outbreaks? There are two types of outbreaks: manmade and naturally occurring. Though the flu is often considered to be naturally occurring, other infectious diseases do not land neatly in a specific category. On the one hand, if someone infects another person without any preconceived notion of causing harm to the individual, most likely the spread would fall into the naturally occurring category. If, on the other hand, a patient willingly knows the risks and goes about infecting another individual, then the spread is considered to be manmade.

Regardless of the type of outbreak, law enforcement officers often go about the situation in a similar manner. They may go about it by “enforcing public health orders (e.g., quarantines or travel restrictions), securing the perimeter of contaminated areas, securing health care facilities, controlling crowds, investigating scenes of suspected biological terrorism, and protecting national stockpiles of vaccines or other medicines.”

In most cases, people who are aware of the spread of a potentially dangerous pandemic often try to leave the infected area. However, what happens when they can’t leave? “Approximately 1.7 million people are housed in correctional facilities in the United States, many of whom have numerous health problems. Our nation's criminal justice system is in real danger of facing a public health crisis as a result of excessive disease and substance abuse in the inmate population. Studies clearly show that the incarcerated population is disproportionately affected by HIV/AIDS, sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), tuberculosis (TB) and other diseases.” Though the CDC, the Center for Disease Control, is trying to improve the health of these inmates, they are not often successful. “Because the identification and reporting of suspected or confirmed cases of disease among incarcerated populations is slow, incomplete or insufficient, it becomes difficult to develop a meaningful public health response or controlled effort to protect the community at-large.”

The world is a scary place. Despite efforts to protect others from the spread of infectious diseases, no human can guarantee that the risks are nonexistent.