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CNN Live At Daybreak
Stopping SARS: World Health Organization Report
Aired May 16, 2003 - 06:38 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.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Is it possible that finally we have some good news about SARS? There is new information this morning on the spread of the disease. Health experts are actually saying it may not be spread as easily as first thought.
Tom Mintier live in Hong Kong with the latest.
Tell us about it -- Tom.
TOM MINTIER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Carol, what they do know is how the virus may have started. As far as the transmission and other things, that may come farther down the road.
But a World Health Organization environmental investigation team has released its preliminary report here in Hong Kong. It deals with two locations. One is a hotel; the other, a housing block.
At the hotel, on or about February 22, a Chinese doctor already infected with SARS apparently either threw up or spit up in the hallway of this hotel, passing the virus on to others. Now, they say that is the beginning of the travel or the trace of the virus that eventually went to Singapore and to Canada and to the rest of the world. They say they've traced it back to an incident at the Metropol Hotel in Calloon (ph).
Now, on the other side is a housing complex called the Amway (ph) housing complex. Now, the government investigation a while ago concluded that there was probably a problem with the sewage system at this housing complex. The investigation team says the combination of a dry drain and an exhaust fan and the fact that a door was closed in the bathroom may have allowed the SARS virus to spread throughout this complex. Now, there were 300 people infected there, and 30 people eventually died from the disease here at this one housing complex.
So, they do have better information on where the disease started and how it may have spread, and a definite better idea of what may have caused the disease to spread inside this one large housing complex -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Yes, once they know how it starts, it's easier to stop it. Tom Mintier reporting live for us 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.
Aired May 16, 2003 - 06:38 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Is it possible that finally we have some good news about SARS? There is new information this morning on the spread of the disease. Health experts are actually saying it may not be spread as easily as first thought.
Tom Mintier live in Hong Kong with the latest.
Tell us about it -- Tom.
TOM MINTIER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Carol, what they do know is how the virus may have started. As far as the transmission and other things, that may come farther down the road.
But a World Health Organization environmental investigation team has released its preliminary report here in Hong Kong. It deals with two locations. One is a hotel; the other, a housing block.
At the hotel, on or about February 22, a Chinese doctor already infected with SARS apparently either threw up or spit up in the hallway of this hotel, passing the virus on to others. Now, they say that is the beginning of the travel or the trace of the virus that eventually went to Singapore and to Canada and to the rest of the world. They say they've traced it back to an incident at the Metropol Hotel in Calloon (ph).
Now, on the other side is a housing complex called the Amway (ph) housing complex. Now, the government investigation a while ago concluded that there was probably a problem with the sewage system at this housing complex. The investigation team says the combination of a dry drain and an exhaust fan and the fact that a door was closed in the bathroom may have allowed the SARS virus to spread throughout this complex. Now, there were 300 people infected there, and 30 people eventually died from the disease here at this one housing complex.
So, they do have better information on where the disease started and how it may have spread, and a definite better idea of what may have caused the disease to spread inside this one large housing complex -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Yes, once they know how it starts, it's easier to stop it. Tom Mintier reporting live for us 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.
