| ■ TB-Patient Flight Rules Questioned | 2010.02.26 |
| International rules that forbid potentially infectious tuberculosis patients from flying are too strict, according to a new study. Researcher Dr. Ibrahim Abubakar, of the University of East Anglia in Britain, analyzed 13 studies of 4,300 airline passengers from six countries and found there were only 10 TB infections diagnosed among thousands of passengers who flew with other passengers infected with TB, the Associated Press reported. The findings appear in the March issue of The Lancet Infectious Diseases journal. Abubakar says people with easily treatable TB who've been taking medicine for at least two weeks should be allowed on commercial flights, the AP reported. He also said World Health Organization and U.S. health guidelines are too aggressive in testing passengers and crew who were on the same long-distance flight as an infected passenger. But the study findings are unconvincing, said Dr. Richard Chaisson, a TB expert at Johns Hopkins University and a member of the editorial board of The Lancet Infectious Diseases. |