"When doctors told Francisco Santos he had tuberculosis Friday, health officials
said the Gwinnett County 17-year-old refused to believe it. Then the wiry,
dark-haired youth refused to submit to any treatment. Worse, he said he was
walking out of the Gwinnett Medical Center in Lawrenceville and heading back to
his home country of Mexico, officials said. “I think he was scared,” said David
Will, attorney for the Gwinnett County Board of Health. Gwinnett health
officials found themselves in a bind. They had a person with a case of active,
contagious tuberculosis, refusing treatment and threatening to carry the disease
to a foreign country. They also were aware of the recent incident involving
Atlanta lawyer Andrew Speaker, who also has tuberculosis. After Speaker left for
his wedding in Greece, a national news conference set off an international
health scare. In this case, the Gwinnett officials acted decisively: They put
Santos in jail Friday evening, in a rare act of a government agency confining a
sick person. Santos is the only inmate in a special medical isolation cell
designed for inmates with contagious conditions. The cell, which measures about
15 feet by 20 feet, has a special ventilation system that keeps the air from
reaching other inmates."
This is going to be played as another immigrant threatening the health and safety of America. If it turns out that he is here illegally that could as easily back fire against the right and stands that they have taken. If his concern in not getting treatment was that he was afraid of being arrested and sent back, that would point towards a system that allowed medical care to be given without citizenship questions.
If he is here legally, and he is just refusing treatment, that is another matter. He does not have the right to spread disease, no matter where he was born, or what kind of legal documentation he may have.
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