The iWorld

A health scare sparked by an American lawyer travelling while infected with a drug-resistant strain of tuberculosis has highlighted flaws in the US disease control system.

The current scare occurred when personal injury lawyer Andrew Speaker, 31, took a plane from Atlanta, Georgia, on May 12 to Europe to get married, just two days after being told he had tuberculosis.

A further failure in the system occurred when a border guard reportedly allowed Speaker into the United States despite knowing he was being sought by health authorities. Speaker is now being treated in Denver.

In any case, things are likely to change later this year when new international health regulations formulated by the World Health Organization come into effect.