News that an American tourist decided to return to the U.S. in a commercial flight despite knowing that he was carrying a contagious potentially deadly virus should have everyone outraged.
Selfish cowards like him will put the world population at risk if we were to face a worldwide health crisis like the 1918 Spanish Flu pandemic. We have to send a clear message that such behaviors are totally unacceptable. He should be thrown in jail as soon as he recovers (which I hope he does).
No matter how unethical this person’s behavior, the worse part of the story is that he decided to return to the U.S. because he believed that it was the only country in the world were he could be successfully treated. It is amazing how Americans are blinded by their own propaganda about the quality of their health system.
If this person had spent just some time researching, he would have found out that people living in countries like France and Italy, two countries he stayed in while knowing about his condition, have a better life expectancy than the U.S, which is tied for 33rd place with Cuba, according to a WHO (World Health Organization) study. Of course, longevity is the combination of a number of factors, which include diet and quality of life among many others. However, it is also true that no country with a terrible health system can claim a top spot in any longevity survey.
Countries in Europe in general have a healthier population because unlike the U.S. they offer a good health system that covers almost the whole population. Wealthy Americans may think that they can get better treatment at home because they can stay at hospitals that look like luxury hotels and sport the latest and greatest in medical technology but even then they may be wrong. Technology is great but experience is at least as important.
For example, if someone needs an organ transplant, Spain, a country generally associated with bullfights and flamenco, may be a better choice than the U.S. because of the high number of organ donors existing in that country (the highest percentage in the world). This peculiarity is one of the reasons why they have so many experienced specialists over there. In Europe doctors are also more likely to have chosen their profession for humanitarian reasons than for money. It is no surprise that the “Médecins sans frontières” (Doctors without borders) organization was created in France, and the Red Cross in Switzerland. This means that there is good expertise in treating diseases which are rare locally such as Malaria or TB, acquired by doctors that travel to remote regions to help those in need.
I understand that this person has made several poor choices by fear but that is not an excuse. He must be held accountable.
May 30th, 2007 at 11:33 pm
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May 30th, 2007 at 11:37 pm
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