CDC Sued Over Handling of TB Case

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Claiming U.S. health officials invaded his privacy, the Atlanta lawyer at the center of an international tuberculosis scare in 2007 is suing the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Associated Press reported.

Andrew Speaker says CDC officials gave him clearance to travel overseas, even though they knew he was infected with TB, and told him he could begin treatment when he returned home. But when he arrived at his destination, doctors told Speaker he had a severe form of TB and urged him to go home.

In the lawsuit filed in federal court in Atlanta on Tuesday, Speaker says CDC officials approved his travel plans and then put the blame on him when he had to return to the United States. The lawsuit charges that the CDC damaged Speaker's reputation and made him the target of death threats, the AP reported.

The lawsuit accuses the CDC of "unlawfully and unnecessarily" revealing Speaker's private medical history and other sensitive information, and claims the stress of the situation caused the break-up of Speaker and his new wife. Speaker is seeking unspecified damages and court fees.

The CDC declined to comment on the lawsuit, the AP reported.