I hope no one gets the drug-resistant strain of TB that young Andrew Speaker carried across the Atlantic and back last week. But Speaker's journey has brought attention to a hard reality that we've not really faced up to in our globally nomadic world; namely, an infectious disease anywhere in the world is only a few hours away from any other place in the world, even across oceans.

This isn't news, of course, but it's the kind of thing we don't dwell on until a threat is imminent. Speaker has reminded us of the imminent danger represented by global travel through exposure to deadly bacteria and viruses. I hope no one else is infected and Speaker regains his health. But if his journey raises public awareness, it will have some redeeming value for this reason alone.

What is not being said quite so openly, but it should be said in my opinion, is that Speaker doesn't fit the stereotype of a downtrodden refugee entering the U.S. carrying a disease of poverty such as TB. He's an affluent, young law student, the counter type of the disease-bearing refugee. The point is that none of us is above risk. These diseases don't respect social class and they aren't limited to economic status.


Of course, those living in poverty bear the greatest burden because they don't eat well, are likely to have compromised immune systems, and are exposed to unsanitary, disease bearing conditions more often than the affluent. But it's not just the poor who carry these diseases. Everyone is at risk. Therefore, closing the borders won't prevent transmission.

Defensive measures may be helpful and should be part of the planning for containing outbreaks of infectious diseases, of course, but defense is insufficient. We must shoulder the responsibility for a global approach to health that addresses prevention, immunization and better living conditions for all people. There is no other way but to become globally aware and responsible for the conditions that breed poverty and increase exposure to disease. Fighting poverty is not simply about benevolent compassion, it's also about living together in the global community free of the risks of transmitting TB, HIV/AIDS and many other conditions that are predatory health risks for everyone.

As a person of faith, I don't find this rationale motivating or satisfying. I yearn for compassion for the sake of values: human dignity, respect for the sacredness of human personality, care for all people as a fundamental act of faithfulness to the Creator of us all and concern for the human family. But I know this is often viewed as being unrealistic and not realpolitik. So, I've learned to think of it in other ways--if we don't do something about poverty, it has the potential to destroy all of us, not just those who live in deprived conditions everyday. Andrew Speaker reminds us that drug-resistant TB which is most common among the poor can travel first class. So we'd all do well to pay attention and recognize that what we do for the the least among us, we do to ourselves and to God. But that's an old biblical tale isn't it?