Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Live Today

Residents Take Precautions Against Mosquitoes

Aired August 07, 2002 - 11:09   ET

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

LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Now we want to get to the worsening West Nile outbreak. A fifth person has died in Louisiana and 14 more cases have now been detected. That makes this the worst outbreak since the virus was first detected in the U.S. The list of states reporting cases of West Nile? It is growing. Illinois has confirmed its first human case, and a visitor in eastern Washington state now has been diagnosed with the virus. Officials believe, though, that he was exposed to it while he was in Louisiana.
CNN's Ed Lavandera is live in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where state health officials are out, urging people to take precautions -- hello, Ed.

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Leon. Well, officials here in Louisiana saying that it is pretty much up to people here to do as much as they can to protect themselves. We're at a place called St. James Place, which is a retirement community in Baton Rouge, Louisiana to give you an idea of what has been going on here. The folks here, the officials who work here, have been handing out these fliers that include just kind of a description of how mosquitoes breed, and where it is likely for the breeding process to happen. So a lot of people who have been here -- there are about 300 people who live here, they have been giving this information.

And basically, they are kind of putting it to use. Here on this porch, for example, we have got a little birdbath, and it -- all the water has been taken out of that, which is the instructions they were given. And then, a lot of people around here also have potted plants on their porches here, and if you can look on the bottom of this, this is just -- it might look trivial and so small, but this is exactly the kind of stuff officials here are talking about, the water that would normally drain into that bottom pan they say is an ideal place for mosquitoes to breed, so they have gone through and put in sand around the bottom of these potted plants to kind of help that water get soaked up so it doesn't provide that breeding ground.

There's also other lakes and water-filled areas around this area that the officials here have been spraying for the last couple of weeks. We're also told now that the mosquito abatement teams have been coming to this location every two weeks. Before, they would only do it about once a month, but since this problem has popped up, they are doing it a lot more often.

Also, to give you an idea nationwide as to how quickly this West Nile virus has spread in the last three years, you know, as we mentioned, it came to New York City in 1999, and it now pretty much has blanketed the Eastern part of the U.S. And Leon, as you mentioned also, there is that case now in Washington state where someone who had come here to Louisiana had taken that virus back home, but we're also told that the folks there don't need to worry too much at this point because the West Nile virus can't be spread between people. It is passed from mosquitoes to people at this point. So that is something they are keeping their eyes on. The mosquito abatement teams are continuing to go out as we have mentioned and reported before. The leaders of this state are requesting more money because a lot of these teams are working overtime. We have attended a couple of the shifts that have gone out.

These mosquito abatement teams are spraying morning and night. There is different types of mosquitoes that they are chasing with all this in hoping to kind of control the spread of the West Nile virus, but every indication so far, and health officials continue to reiterate that with three months still left in this mosquito season, it doesn't look like this problem is going to slow down anytime soon.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVID HOOD, LOUISIANA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HOSPITALS: We do expect this to continue to spread. We don't think that it's over with yet. As long as the warm weather lasts here in Louisiana, I think we will be faced with this problem, and we are going to see an increasing number of cases. And unfortunately, probably some additional deaths as well.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LAVANDERA: So what people are being urged to do is just protect themselves as much as possible, wear long sleeved shirts, long pants if you are going outside. Try to avoid the later evening hours, which is a high period of mosquito activity in Louisiana. And there are also a couple things we showed you here. And also, don't forget that insecticide spray that you can use to spray on your arms and legs, and we're being told that's the best you can do at this point -- Leon.

HARRIS: That's right. And it ought to be the spray with the word DEET on it, D-E-E-T. Let me ask you one quick question, and I know that the guy that you talked there, the expert, he didn't talk about what is happened outside this country, but mosquitoes don't stop at the borders. Is there anybody anywhere keeping track of whether or not this virus is spreading into Mexico or Canada and whether there have been deaths there as well?

LAVANDERA: Well, they are keeping track. Although it's so difficult, because it can take one mosquito, and there is so much -- especially with the open borders that we -- and trade laws that have been put into effect, especially over the last decade. So that has opened up things. So creates a lot of time, just move through. Sometimes, something might arrive in Seattle for example, get brought to Louisiana. It won't be opened up here. So it is hard to say.

You know, those mosquitoes, of course, are so tiny that you just take one mosquito -- to be in there to pass this along. So it is something they are very conscious of, and they are trying to track the movement of all of this. But with so many mosquitoes, and this population so -- so absolutely huge, that it's difficult to keep track of on a completely accurate basis.

HARRIS: All right. Good deal. You're exactly right. Make sure you and the crew keep the DEET handy.

LAVANDERA: We'll keep it handy.

HARRIS: All right. Ed Lavandera in Baton Rouge this morning.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com