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American Morning

RX for New Weapons

Aired February 10, 2003 - 07:35   ET

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

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


PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: Now in the meantime, we need to pose this question, are U.S. troops prepared to fight a new kind of war? They could be facing more than bullets and bombs. The biggest threat in Iraq could be nuclear, biological or even chemical attacks.
Dr. Sanjay Gupta is with U.S. forces in Kuwait. He joins is live this morning with the military's prescription for fighting these weapons.

Good morning -- Sanjay.

SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Good afternoon from Kuwait, Paula.

Well it's hard to believe here in the middle of a desert that a clinic could be set up, that medics and doctors could be trained, but that's exactly what's going on. And it's more than just the basics, Paula, there's a very different sort of training going on.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GUPTA (voice-over): In the middle of the desert of northern Kuwait, the U.S. military is going over their ABCs.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So now we've determined the airway is clear, we're going to go on to B. We're going to breathing.

GUPTA: Airway, breathing and circulation, a basic tenant of any medical training. But here in the desert soldiers are also learning another abbreviation.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Security hood, pull it up and over.

GUPTA: NBC, nuclear, biological and chemical.

CAPTAIN SHOBITZ, U.S. ARMY: The things that worry the -- worry me the most over the next several weeks would be if our soldiers are to be hit with a nuclear, biological and chemical attack.

GUPTA: Unlike wars of past where bullets or bombs were the biggest threat, transparent gases, microscopic viruses and gamma radiation are a bigger concern today.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well sure, we're concerned about smallpox, tumeria crew (ph) fever, bochelon (ph) toxin and anthrax. So we're preparing for chemical attack. SHOBITZ: So each soldier is issued the antidotes for most chemical attacks, specifically for nerve agents. They're all instructed through their training on how to use this self-aid and buddy-aid.

CAPTAIN MANCUSO, PREVENTATIVE MEDICINE DOCTOR: Well no one's comfortable in that type of an environment.

GUPTA: Of course not, but it is a different sort of war requiring new and difficult preparations.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's your nine seconds right there.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, when we first started there was a lot of people not really sure of how to use their equipment. There hasn't been a high level of training in the past, but now that there's a definite threat, people are paying more attention, we're giving more classes.

GUPTA: And the soldiers are constantly reminded that wars are not only fought on battlefields.

MANCUSO: Because of the anthrax attacks and now the threat is more real I guess since it was brought home to us on our own soil.

GUPTA: And so they prepare and prepare again until they are ready.

MANCUSO: We're ready to take on whatever they're throwing at us and we'll be able to -- we have -- we have the capability and we'll be ready.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GUPTA: Be it ABC, be it NBC, Paula, these soldiers are developing all sorts of strategies to try and prepare themselves. We had a chance to spend a day with them and really an impressive group of soldiers developing all these different new tools -- Paula.

ZAHN: I was surprised that they were as open with you as they were about the training that takes place there.

GUPTA: Yes, you know the ABC stuff certainly is something that's been around for a very long time. The nuclear, biological and chemical threats, while the training has been there for quite some time, certainly the message I was getting is that there's a lot more emphasis on a lot of that stuff now. Soldiers are not just learning about nerve agents, they're learning specifically about serin gas. They're not learning just about biological agents but specifically about smallpox and getting those inoculations. So a lot of training, and they were very open -- Paula.

ZAHN: Dr. Sanjay Gupta, thanks. Look forward to next report tomorrow 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







Aired February 10, 2003 - 07:35   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: Now in the meantime, we need to pose this question, are U.S. troops prepared to fight a new kind of war? They could be facing more than bullets and bombs. The biggest threat in Iraq could be nuclear, biological or even chemical attacks.
Dr. Sanjay Gupta is with U.S. forces in Kuwait. He joins is live this morning with the military's prescription for fighting these weapons.

Good morning -- Sanjay.

SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Good afternoon from Kuwait, Paula.

Well it's hard to believe here in the middle of a desert that a clinic could be set up, that medics and doctors could be trained, but that's exactly what's going on. And it's more than just the basics, Paula, there's a very different sort of training going on.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GUPTA (voice-over): In the middle of the desert of northern Kuwait, the U.S. military is going over their ABCs.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So now we've determined the airway is clear, we're going to go on to B. We're going to breathing.

GUPTA: Airway, breathing and circulation, a basic tenant of any medical training. But here in the desert soldiers are also learning another abbreviation.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Security hood, pull it up and over.

GUPTA: NBC, nuclear, biological and chemical.

CAPTAIN SHOBITZ, U.S. ARMY: The things that worry the -- worry me the most over the next several weeks would be if our soldiers are to be hit with a nuclear, biological and chemical attack.

GUPTA: Unlike wars of past where bullets or bombs were the biggest threat, transparent gases, microscopic viruses and gamma radiation are a bigger concern today.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well sure, we're concerned about smallpox, tumeria crew (ph) fever, bochelon (ph) toxin and anthrax. So we're preparing for chemical attack. SHOBITZ: So each soldier is issued the antidotes for most chemical attacks, specifically for nerve agents. They're all instructed through their training on how to use this self-aid and buddy-aid.

CAPTAIN MANCUSO, PREVENTATIVE MEDICINE DOCTOR: Well no one's comfortable in that type of an environment.

GUPTA: Of course not, but it is a different sort of war requiring new and difficult preparations.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's your nine seconds right there.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, when we first started there was a lot of people not really sure of how to use their equipment. There hasn't been a high level of training in the past, but now that there's a definite threat, people are paying more attention, we're giving more classes.

GUPTA: And the soldiers are constantly reminded that wars are not only fought on battlefields.

MANCUSO: Because of the anthrax attacks and now the threat is more real I guess since it was brought home to us on our own soil.

GUPTA: And so they prepare and prepare again until they are ready.

MANCUSO: We're ready to take on whatever they're throwing at us and we'll be able to -- we have -- we have the capability and we'll be ready.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GUPTA: Be it ABC, be it NBC, Paula, these soldiers are developing all sorts of strategies to try and prepare themselves. We had a chance to spend a day with them and really an impressive group of soldiers developing all these different new tools -- Paula.

ZAHN: I was surprised that they were as open with you as they were about the training that takes place there.

GUPTA: Yes, you know the ABC stuff certainly is something that's been around for a very long time. The nuclear, biological and chemical threats, while the training has been there for quite some time, certainly the message I was getting is that there's a lot more emphasis on a lot of that stuff now. Soldiers are not just learning about nerve agents, they're learning specifically about serin gas. They're not learning just about biological agents but specifically about smallpox and getting those inoculations. So a lot of training, and they were very open -- Paula.

ZAHN: Dr. Sanjay Gupta, thanks. Look forward to next report tomorrow 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