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CNN Live Today

West Nile Claims Fifth Person; Interview with Cathy Schemp

Aired August 07, 2002 - 10:01   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: But up first this hour on CNN, the West Nile virus and its climbing death toll. A fifth person has died in Louisiana, and more than 70 others are battling infections from this mosquito-borne disease. The list of states reporting confirming human cases, that has also grown, now touches all three coasts. Illinois health officials say a 22-year-old woman has become its first confirmed case, although they believe that she may have brought it with her from Maryland.
And similar news in Washington state where a visitor to the state becomes its first victim. Health officials believe that the man, who is said to be recovering right now, was exposed to the disease in Louisiana, and that appears to be the epicenter of this disease right now, and that's where we begin our coverage this morning.

CNN's Ed Lavandera joins us now. He is in Baton Rouge, Louisiana this morning, and let's check in with him right now for the very latest -- morning, Ed.

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Leon. We are at St. James Place, a retirement community here on the southern edge of Baton Rouge. About 300 people live here, and of course, this West Nile story has been taking particular interest among elderly residents throughout Louisiana, as health officials in this state have warned the people who live here, that is the elderly, who are most at risk of this West Nile virus. As you get older, they say immune systems will weaken up a little bit, and that allows the mosquito bites and the West Nile virus to run its course a little more thoroughly than it does -- than it tends to in younger people. So, there are special precautions that are being done at this place. That's why we are here this morning.

Joining us is Cathy Schemp with St. James Place. You guys have about 300 people here, and you are telling me that you are going through a list of precautions and reminders for people here. Can you give us an idea of what you are doing?

CATHY SCHEMP, ST. JAMES PLACE: Yes. We have -- as a matter of fact, we put out a newsletter last week alerting residents to the changes that we were making in our environment to try to make it safer for them, and also to ask them to join in, because our residents live independently in their homes, and so we need them to take care of their independent backyards as well.

LAVANDERA: Let's do a little show and tell here, because I think you have got a lot of people paying attention to what you have been saying. SCHEMP: Well, our resident here, as you can see, loves to garden, and she has a lot of potted plants, and she has a bird bath, and we have emptied her bird baths around our property, and we have asked our residents to either empty them or to put fresh water in them everyday, and they are doing that.

Now, she has a lot of potted plants, and we know that the mosquitoes like to gather in the water that has accumulated in the saucers of the potted plants, and so we have been putting sand in the saucers of the potted plants to help eliminate the mosquitoes in that area.

LAVANDERA: And that might not seem like a lot -- lot of water, but the people have said that is enough water to create a breeding ground, right?

SCHEMP: Yes. It is a main source, and especially here in Louisiana, we do have a lot of people who have backyards with a lot of potted plants, and we have seen, I know in my own home, I have had to do the same thing in my own home, make sure I have cleared out the water that is sitting in the potted plants.

LAVANDERA: And you have found that people are paying attention to what you are saying?

SCHEMP: Yes, people are. People are. People are beginning to put on their mosquito repellent, even when they are going out to work in their yard during the middle of the day, not just in the evenings. Joggers are putting it on. Yesterday, I asked several of our workmen here that are in our plant services department working in our yard, and they are putting it on as well. We have a tram that we -- that goes around our community it to take our residents from one end to the other, and our tram driver has Off in the front of his little golf cart, and he is putting it on as well as the residents as they are getting into the golf cart.

LAVANDERA: On serious levels, this has affected mostly elderly people. Are the people around here, are they feeling more nervous about the situation?

SCHEMP: No, they are not nervous. They are not nervous. I was speaking to several of them yesterday. But they are putting on their bug repellent when are outside, and also they are not outside as much. One of the couples that usually sit outside and have breakfast outside on their -- they have a lake view patio home, and they usually sit outside in the morning, and they are not doing that. So, they are staying in more. They are staying in more.

LAVANDERA: Great. Thank you very much. If you see a map of how the West Nile virus has moved through the U.S., you can get a sense of just how quickly it is moving. It came to New York in 1999, and has pretty much blanketed all of the eastern part of the U.S., and Leon, as you mentioned earlier, there is that case of a gentleman in Washington state that has come down with the virus as well, and he is being treated for that. He was in Louisiana and made his way back then. But folks there in Washington state aren't supposed to worry very much because everything health officials have been saying about this disease is that it can't be spread between humans. It just doesn't build up enough power inside the human body to be able spread like that. So folks here very cautious of what mosquitoes and the mosquito breeding grounds, and we can attest to the fact that lot more people are wearing mosquito repellent and paying closer attention to their surroundings, as they try to get rid of the standing water that is around their homes, and that is pretty much all health officials can say at this point, that if you do come down with the disease, you are supposed to treat the symptoms, and up until then at least, take care of your surroundings -- Leon.

HARRIS: That's right. The good thing here is that it doesn't have to be a deadly, even if you do get it. Which reminds me, Ed, do you have your DEET on right now?

LAVANDERA: We are fully stocked. We're not driving around this state without that stuff.

HARRIS: All right. Good deal. You had better have it, Buddy. All right. We'll talk with you later on, OK?

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