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American Morning

Hidden SARS?

Aired April 21, 2003 - 08:36   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.


HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: The latest news about SARS is causing an uproar in China. The Chinese government says it has nearly 10 times more SARS infections than previously announced. This week's edition of "Time Asia" says Beijing Hospital hid dozens of SARS patients from the World Health Organization when it's inspectors visited clinics early this week.
Karl Taro Greenfeld, the editor of "Time Asia," is in Hong Kong to tell us more about this exclusive story.

Good morning to you.

Tell us, if you would, please, exactly what you learned through your reporting of these deliberate attempts by the Chinese officials to hide these patients.

KARL TARO GREENFELD, EDITOR, "TIME ASIA": Well, we found out through sending reporters basically into hospitals and counting patients is that Beijing was lowballing their SARS totals by at least a factor of 10, possibly more. We found that the hospitals were putting patients into hotels during the inspections so that they wouldn't be counted. It was a systematic cover-up, which apparently went pretty high, if you look at who was purged over the weekend, the mayor of Beijing and the health minister. So we basically Found it was a cover-up, and Beijing reacted by changing their numbers yesterday.

COLLINS: As you say, the health minister and the mayor of Beijing were let go, because of this alarming spike in the deaths at the capital there. Why are the Chinese so reluctant to deal with this problem?

GREENFELD: I don't know if they were let go because of a spike in the death total. They were let go probably because of the cover- up. China has been reluctant to deal with the problem. Basically, this is a country that wants to present itself as economically advanced. It's ready to participate in the global economy, as a global player basically. And the last thing they want is to be known as a source of the latest deadliest infectious disease. It all has to do with old age and issues of saving face. China wants to save face, and they don't look good if they're seen as basically a hot zone.

COLLINS: This is a big deal. According to "The Washington Post," not since the Tiananmen Square crackdown have such high- ranking officials been removed for disloyalty, right?

GREENFELD: That's right. I don't remember a purge ever. If you think of it, this is a purge which has been brought on by international pressure, by the international press, coming in and saying, look, you guys have made a mistake, you guys shouldn't be hiding this. I can't recall ever the Chinese government bowing to international pressure like this and purging top officials.

COLLINS: Karl, I want to ask you about something very interesting. There is a report in "The New York Times" today that -- of the extraordinary power that these health officials have, all across the world, not just in China, but across the world. Take a look at this graphic we've prepared. In China, the authorities have ordered that anyone exhibiting SARS symptoms must be hospitalized. In Singapore, where 2,500 -- or 2,400 cases have been quarantined, people suspected of having SARS are kept in their homes with webcams and electronic bracelets. This is so that the authorities will know if they should try to leave their homes. And in Taiwan, all travelers from China and all visitors to hospitals have to have their temperature taken.

Now is this sort of a way to overcompensate for their original slow response that they have in reacting to this outbreak.

GREENFELD: Singapore, from the very beginning, has been very aggressive about imposing quarantine, about taking infection barrier measures to try to curtail the spread of this disease. Taiwan also has been very aggressive.

For China, it's a belated start, but this is what you have to do when you have an outbreak. You have to basically start quarantining patients, and you have to quarantine contacts of those patients. That is the only way to get a handle on this thing. China is starting late. I hope they get ahead of it, but if they don't, they have their hands full.

COLLINS: Karl Taro Greenfeld, with "Time Asia," thanks so much for your time this morning, Karl.

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 April 21, 2003 - 08:36   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: The latest news about SARS is causing an uproar in China. The Chinese government says it has nearly 10 times more SARS infections than previously announced. This week's edition of "Time Asia" says Beijing Hospital hid dozens of SARS patients from the World Health Organization when it's inspectors visited clinics early this week.
Karl Taro Greenfeld, the editor of "Time Asia," is in Hong Kong to tell us more about this exclusive story.

Good morning to you.

Tell us, if you would, please, exactly what you learned through your reporting of these deliberate attempts by the Chinese officials to hide these patients.

KARL TARO GREENFELD, EDITOR, "TIME ASIA": Well, we found out through sending reporters basically into hospitals and counting patients is that Beijing was lowballing their SARS totals by at least a factor of 10, possibly more. We found that the hospitals were putting patients into hotels during the inspections so that they wouldn't be counted. It was a systematic cover-up, which apparently went pretty high, if you look at who was purged over the weekend, the mayor of Beijing and the health minister. So we basically Found it was a cover-up, and Beijing reacted by changing their numbers yesterday.

COLLINS: As you say, the health minister and the mayor of Beijing were let go, because of this alarming spike in the deaths at the capital there. Why are the Chinese so reluctant to deal with this problem?

GREENFELD: I don't know if they were let go because of a spike in the death total. They were let go probably because of the cover- up. China has been reluctant to deal with the problem. Basically, this is a country that wants to present itself as economically advanced. It's ready to participate in the global economy, as a global player basically. And the last thing they want is to be known as a source of the latest deadliest infectious disease. It all has to do with old age and issues of saving face. China wants to save face, and they don't look good if they're seen as basically a hot zone.

COLLINS: This is a big deal. According to "The Washington Post," not since the Tiananmen Square crackdown have such high- ranking officials been removed for disloyalty, right?

GREENFELD: That's right. I don't remember a purge ever. If you think of it, this is a purge which has been brought on by international pressure, by the international press, coming in and saying, look, you guys have made a mistake, you guys shouldn't be hiding this. I can't recall ever the Chinese government bowing to international pressure like this and purging top officials.

COLLINS: Karl, I want to ask you about something very interesting. There is a report in "The New York Times" today that -- of the extraordinary power that these health officials have, all across the world, not just in China, but across the world. Take a look at this graphic we've prepared. In China, the authorities have ordered that anyone exhibiting SARS symptoms must be hospitalized. In Singapore, where 2,500 -- or 2,400 cases have been quarantined, people suspected of having SARS are kept in their homes with webcams and electronic bracelets. This is so that the authorities will know if they should try to leave their homes. And in Taiwan, all travelers from China and all visitors to hospitals have to have their temperature taken.

Now is this sort of a way to overcompensate for their original slow response that they have in reacting to this outbreak.

GREENFELD: Singapore, from the very beginning, has been very aggressive about imposing quarantine, about taking infection barrier measures to try to curtail the spread of this disease. Taiwan also has been very aggressive.

For China, it's a belated start, but this is what you have to do when you have an outbreak. You have to basically start quarantining patients, and you have to quarantine contacts of those patients. That is the only way to get a handle on this thing. China is starting late. I hope they get ahead of it, but if they don't, they have their hands full.

COLLINS: Karl Taro Greenfeld, with "Time Asia," thanks so much for your time this morning, Karl.

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