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CNN Live At Daybreak

The Monkey Pox Virus

Aired June 09, 2003 - 06:51   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: If you love exotic pets, beware. The CDC has confirmed at least 28 cases of what's called monekypox, the monkey pox virus. It's a small pox like disease spread by rodents and monkeys. Hit so far are Wisconsin, with 17 cases; Indiana with 10; and Illinois with one case. And these are the states where you see a lot of prairie dogs.
Let's talk to Dr. Sandra Fryhofer, who is here to tell us about this.

And I guess people in those states have pets, prairie dogs for pets.

DR. SANDRA FRYHOFER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. It sounds like it. And this is a rare infection. It wasn't recognized until back in 1971. And it occurred primarily in the rain forests of Central and West Africa. It's mainly a disease of animals, but as you said, now there have been human cases of monkey pox been reported in Wisconsin, Illinois and Indiana, and this is the first reported outbreak of human monkey pox infection in the western hemisphere.

In humans, it causes a disease that's similar to smallpox, only it's less infectious. So far, there have been at least 19 cases reported, 17 in Wisconsin, one in Illinois, one in Indiana, and all the cases have been linked to contact with sick prairie dogs.

No one's died so far, but several people have been hospitalized and the CDC is warning anyone who comes down with a rash like illness after exposure to prairie dogs to contact their local and state hl departments immediately and veterinarians taking care of sick rodents like prairie dogs, rabbits and Gambian rats should also take special precautions and wear gloves, gowns and masks just to be safe.

COSTELLO: Well, you know, I'm just looking at the prairie dog and wondering why you would want such a pet. It's a rodent, isn't it?

FRYHOFER: Well, I think it is, Carol. I think it is. And we, you know, we don't really know exactly how this infection got here in the United States, but cases of illness started popping up early last month. The distributor that sold the prairie dogs to pet shops in Wisconsin got them from someone in Illinois who may have bought the prairie dogs from someone in Texas or South Dakota. Animals may have been sold in other states, as well.

And to further complicate matters, these animals are often traded informally at pet swap meets. And the health officials at the CDC actually think that a sick Gambian rat may have been the one that got the prairie dogs sick. Have you got that?

COSTELLO: My head is spinning.

Let's talk about monkey pox for just a second because some people compare it to smallpox. But it's not as serious as that.

FRYHOFER: Exactly. And monkey pox is fatal in about one to 10 percent of cases. The death rate is highest in young children. It can be treated with an anti-viral medication called cidofovir. Vaccination against smallpox does protect against monkey pox. The symptoms included fever, cough, headache, muscle aches, rash and large lymph nodes. The incubation period is about 12 days and doctors should think about monkey pox in patients who have these symptoms and have also had contact with prairie dogs or Gambian rats within the last three weeks.

The World Health Organization says that it's usually transmitted to humans either through a bite or contact with the animal's blood. So for now, stay away from those prairie dogs and Gambian rats.

COSTELLO: For god's sakes, stay away.

All right, Dr. Sandra Fryhofer, many thanks.

So, prairie dogs, monkey pox, stay away.

FRYHOFER: You've got it.

COSTELLO: OK.

Thanks so much.

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 June 9, 2003 - 06:51   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: If you love exotic pets, beware. The CDC has confirmed at least 28 cases of what's called monekypox, the monkey pox virus. It's a small pox like disease spread by rodents and monkeys. Hit so far are Wisconsin, with 17 cases; Indiana with 10; and Illinois with one case. And these are the states where you see a lot of prairie dogs.
Let's talk to Dr. Sandra Fryhofer, who is here to tell us about this.

And I guess people in those states have pets, prairie dogs for pets.

DR. SANDRA FRYHOFER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. It sounds like it. And this is a rare infection. It wasn't recognized until back in 1971. And it occurred primarily in the rain forests of Central and West Africa. It's mainly a disease of animals, but as you said, now there have been human cases of monkey pox been reported in Wisconsin, Illinois and Indiana, and this is the first reported outbreak of human monkey pox infection in the western hemisphere.

In humans, it causes a disease that's similar to smallpox, only it's less infectious. So far, there have been at least 19 cases reported, 17 in Wisconsin, one in Illinois, one in Indiana, and all the cases have been linked to contact with sick prairie dogs.

No one's died so far, but several people have been hospitalized and the CDC is warning anyone who comes down with a rash like illness after exposure to prairie dogs to contact their local and state hl departments immediately and veterinarians taking care of sick rodents like prairie dogs, rabbits and Gambian rats should also take special precautions and wear gloves, gowns and masks just to be safe.

COSTELLO: Well, you know, I'm just looking at the prairie dog and wondering why you would want such a pet. It's a rodent, isn't it?

FRYHOFER: Well, I think it is, Carol. I think it is. And we, you know, we don't really know exactly how this infection got here in the United States, but cases of illness started popping up early last month. The distributor that sold the prairie dogs to pet shops in Wisconsin got them from someone in Illinois who may have bought the prairie dogs from someone in Texas or South Dakota. Animals may have been sold in other states, as well.

And to further complicate matters, these animals are often traded informally at pet swap meets. And the health officials at the CDC actually think that a sick Gambian rat may have been the one that got the prairie dogs sick. Have you got that?

COSTELLO: My head is spinning.

Let's talk about monkey pox for just a second because some people compare it to smallpox. But it's not as serious as that.

FRYHOFER: Exactly. And monkey pox is fatal in about one to 10 percent of cases. The death rate is highest in young children. It can be treated with an anti-viral medication called cidofovir. Vaccination against smallpox does protect against monkey pox. The symptoms included fever, cough, headache, muscle aches, rash and large lymph nodes. The incubation period is about 12 days and doctors should think about monkey pox in patients who have these symptoms and have also had contact with prairie dogs or Gambian rats within the last three weeks.

The World Health Organization says that it's usually transmitted to humans either through a bite or contact with the animal's blood. So for now, stay away from those prairie dogs and Gambian rats.

COSTELLO: For god's sakes, stay away.

All right, Dr. Sandra Fryhofer, many thanks.

So, prairie dogs, monkey pox, stay away.

FRYHOFER: You've got it.

COSTELLO: OK.

Thanks so much.

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