Markets and Quarantines

Can markets handle outbreaks of disease?. The obvious answer is yes. For a detailed explanation, read Robert P. Murphy's latest article at Mises.org.

An excerpt:

How the Free Market Would Handle Quarantines
By Robert P. Murphy
Posted on 7/16/2007 [Subscribe or Tell Others]


On July 3, doctors announced that Andrew Speaker, the tuberculosis patient who sparked an international outcry when he flouted orders and boarded a jet for Canada, might not be so dangerous after all. The CDC confirms that Speaker's TB, though difficult to treat, is not nearly as drug-resistant as officials thought when they tracked down Speaker on his honeymoon.

For those familiar with the case, the latest wrinkle is par for the course. What follows is a brief summary for those readers who may not have heard all of the (outrageous) details:

• In January Andrew Speaker was diagnosed with TB (which he thinks he contracted while doing charity work in Vietnam), yet was told he wasn't contagious. He continued to practice law, eat at restaurants, see his fiancée and her young daughter, and all with the knowledge of his doctors.
  

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