| ■ 2nd Diagnosis of Extreme Resistant TB Changed | 2007.07.23 |
| Another person thought to have an extremely drug-resistant form of tuberculosis has had his diagnosis downgraded to a less-dangerous form, the second time this year that an American appears to have been misdiagnosed with the resistant strain, the Los Angeles Times reports. Robert Daniels, 27, had been kept under armed quarantine in Arizona since being diagnosed with extensively drug-resistant TB (XDR TB) and for failing to wear a mask in public, his lawyer told the newspaper. Earlier this week, Daniels was transferred to National Jewish Medical and Research Center in Denver, where his diagnosis was downgraded. It's the same hospital treating the Georgia man who sparked an international health scare when he traveled to and from Europe for his wedding, despite initially being told he had XDR TB. Atlanta attorney Andrew Speaker, too, had been diagnosed initially with XDR TB and later had his diagnosis downgraded. Since both men don't have the most drug-resistant form of the highly contagious disease, they can be treated with a wider array of drugs, and their survival chances are significantly higher, the Times reported. Since 1993, there have been 49 cases of XDR TB in the United States, the newspaper said. |