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CNN Live Today
'Daily Dose'
Aired June 09, 2003 - 11:47 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.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Another big and rather strange story we are following, health officials think they have found the source of an outbreak of monkeypox in the Upper Midwest. The case has marked the first time the disease appeared in the Western hemisphere.
CNN medical correspondent Dr. Sandra Fryhofer is here with the details in our "Daily Dose."
Boy, this is strange, monkeypox? How similar to smallpox?
DR. SANDRA FRYHOFER, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, it causes a similar infection in people. But this was first recognized in humans back in 1971. But it generally occurs in the rain forest of central and West Africa, and it's something usually we see only in animals.
But now we have heard there are reports of cases of this monkeypox in Wisconsin, Illinois and Indiana, and this is the first time we have ever had human cases of monkeypox in the Western hemisphere.
Now so far, no one has died. Several people have been hospitalized. And the CDC is telling people who had exposure to prairie dogs, who come down with a rash-like illness, to talk to their doctors. And doctors should consider this as a possibility. They're also telling veterinarians who take care of rodents who might be sick to take special precautions, to wear gloves, and masks and gowns, just to be safe.
WHITFIELD: And what's strange about this, too, is most people who have been infected, or at least diagnosed with this monkeypox, all of them were owners of prairie dogs. So it's not like they just arbitrarily came in contact with prairie dogs, but most of these prairie dogs were infected by the same source, right?
FRYHOFER: Right, there definitely seems to be a prairie dog connection in just about every case, and what actually has happened is that the owners got their pets at a pet shop, and the pet shop bought their animals from a place, a distributor, in Wisconsin, who got theirs from Illinois, who may have gotten it from Texas, from South Dakota, so there's several states involved here. Also, sometimes, people trade these little pets, these cute little furry creatures, at pet swap meets. So the investigation is pretty complicated. But they are doing a good job with it.
WHITFIELD: Maybe that explains why three states so far in the Midwest. All right, Sandra Fryhofer, Dr. Fryhofer, good to see you. Thanks very 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 - 11:47 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Another big and rather strange story we are following, health officials think they have found the source of an outbreak of monkeypox in the Upper Midwest. The case has marked the first time the disease appeared in the Western hemisphere.
CNN medical correspondent Dr. Sandra Fryhofer is here with the details in our "Daily Dose."
Boy, this is strange, monkeypox? How similar to smallpox?
DR. SANDRA FRYHOFER, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, it causes a similar infection in people. But this was first recognized in humans back in 1971. But it generally occurs in the rain forest of central and West Africa, and it's something usually we see only in animals.
But now we have heard there are reports of cases of this monkeypox in Wisconsin, Illinois and Indiana, and this is the first time we have ever had human cases of monkeypox in the Western hemisphere.
Now so far, no one has died. Several people have been hospitalized. And the CDC is telling people who had exposure to prairie dogs, who come down with a rash-like illness, to talk to their doctors. And doctors should consider this as a possibility. They're also telling veterinarians who take care of rodents who might be sick to take special precautions, to wear gloves, and masks and gowns, just to be safe.
WHITFIELD: And what's strange about this, too, is most people who have been infected, or at least diagnosed with this monkeypox, all of them were owners of prairie dogs. So it's not like they just arbitrarily came in contact with prairie dogs, but most of these prairie dogs were infected by the same source, right?
FRYHOFER: Right, there definitely seems to be a prairie dog connection in just about every case, and what actually has happened is that the owners got their pets at a pet shop, and the pet shop bought their animals from a place, a distributor, in Wisconsin, who got theirs from Illinois, who may have gotten it from Texas, from South Dakota, so there's several states involved here. Also, sometimes, people trade these little pets, these cute little furry creatures, at pet swap meets. So the investigation is pretty complicated. But they are doing a good job with it.
WHITFIELD: Maybe that explains why three states so far in the Midwest. All right, Sandra Fryhofer, Dr. Fryhofer, good to see you. Thanks very 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
