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Tuberculosis Scare; Picking A Winner; Gerri's Top Tips; Press Conference at the National Jewish Medical and Research Center
Aired May 31, 2007 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
RUSTY DORNIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT, (voice over): Officials say the man's doctor first told them about it on April 25th. Further testing showed it was multiple drug resistant. On May 10th, a county doctor joined the man's own physician in warning him not to travel.
DR. ERIC BENNING, FULTON COUNTY HEALTH DEPARTMENT: We are not a police authority, but we did tell him in no uncertain terms that he should not travel and we told him the reasoning why.
DORNIN: But he insisted his marriage and honeymoon plans were nonnegotiable, saying he would wear a mask while flying.
The day after that meeting, health officials say they sent a letter to his house and tried to contact the infected man by phone to advise him again, please, don't travel.
But they say they couldn't reach him. On May 12th, he boarded an Air France flight to Paris with his fiance. His strain of TB, potentially infectious with exposures of eight hours or more. The flight to Paris, eight hours 45 minutes.
During the next few days, five more flights to the Greek Islands, then Rome. Back in Atlanta on May 16th, health officials identified his strain as XDR, the most extreme form of drug resistant TB. That's when the CDC took over.
They reached the man in Rome on May 23rd. They told him to turn himself in to Italian health authorities, but he refused, telling an "Atlanta Journal-Constitution" reporter . . .
ALISON YOUNG, "ATLANTA-JOURNAL CONSTITUTION": He was very concerned that this would make it impossible for him to have some cutting-edge treatment in Denver that was planned. And he said he feared for his life.
DORNIN: So as the CDC tried to figure out how to get him back to the United States, the man flew yet again to Prague. Then on May 24th, he took a Czech Air Flight to . . .
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Let's get you to Grady Memorial Hospital now for an update on the situation with the patient with this extreme and rare form of tuberculosis.
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE) taken to Denver as opposed to (INAUDIBLE) here at Grady?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You know, I think that was partially, you know, the preference of the patient.
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE).
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You know, the patient, you know, was discharged from our hospital about 4:30 this morning. And, you know, he was transported to Denver. It's our understanding this was not by commercial air. It was by private plane.
QUESTION: Was he taken by ambulance from here or (INAUDIBLE)?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You know, I don't have all those details, so I'd rather not comment.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But the actual travel to Denver was by air -- by aircraft.
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE) the two of you take (INAUDIBLE).
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, I think one of the reasons that the patient was quarantined at Grady was the expertise that our hospital and our staff, physicians and nurses have in the care of patients. Over the last decade, you know, Grady's cared for about 20 to 25 percent of all the TB cases in the state of Georgia. And we have a very aggressive and effective TB infection control program at our hospital. And we also have facilities that most hospitals don't have. We have a 26-bed respiratory isolation unit. So we really have, you know, really state-of-the-art isolation rooms to care for patients.
You know I think one concern we have in general about TB is that I think this case highlights that TB is still a problem. It's still a problem in the United States. And even more so, it's a problem throughout the world. You know, TB is a real weapon of mass destruction. It causes nine million cases -- new cases of TB occur every year. And there's about two million deaths per year throughout the world due to TB. And it's an enormous global public health problem.
And, you know, one concern I think that we have is that funding for CDC TB control has been cut in the last few years. And this impacts TB control in all the states, including ours in Georgia. In addition, you know, the funding for TB research at CDC, important clinical research, has been cut. And I think, you know, these kinds of cases really highlight that we need new and better diagnostics for TB. These drug resistant cases really emphasize we need new drugs, we need -- there really hasn't been a new drug available for the treatment of TB in the last 40 years. We really need, you know, resources put in to developing new drugs.
And the other thing we don't have for TB is an effective vaccine. So there's a lot of work that needs to be done and I think this case highlights the need to have adequate resources for both TB control and TB research in the U.S. and really throughout the world. It's an enormous global public health problem. QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE) potentially dangerous TB and then yet he was legally allowed to travel with it. (INAUDIBLE).
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think that's probably better for the public health officials, you know, to comment. That's, I think, in their realm.
QUESTION: Can you talk about how dangerous it would be for someone in his condition, though, to travel in a confined space for hours and hours to (INAUDIBLE) people on that aircraft.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, I think those questions about, you know, the potential, whether there was a potential for transmission or not on commercial airplanes, it's probably best to talk to the CDC. I know they've been commenting on it. I can just say, you know, that the patient was stable when he was transferred to the other hospital. Obviously we wouldn't transfer a patient who was not stable.
QUESTION: He (INAUDIBLE) was not showing any signs of this (ph) disease, is that accurate?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You know, I don't think I'm really, you know, because of confidentiality reasons, you know, can get into the specifics of this case.
QUESTION: Can you tell us anything about his spirit and his demeanor and how he's doing?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, I'm sorry -- the precautions at our -- healthcare -- yes.
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE).
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm sure that to protect others, he has been instructed to wear a mask. And as -- if he were here in respiratory isolation at Grady, others around him coming into contact with him would also be wearing a special type of mask to prevent themselves.
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE).
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Some planes have certain air exhaust systems to help facilitate the removal of air. But him wearing a mask and others wearing a mask is protective.
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE).
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You know, the CDC issued a federal quarantine and, you know, they designated Grady Memorial Hospital as the place where the patient would be quarantined. And we felt that if they, you know, were going to issue this, of course, Grady was going to step up and, you know, provide the care based on this. But that, you know, we are healthcare workers and that we cannot enforce a federal quarantine and there need to be a mechanism for someone to enforce the federal quarantine because our healthcare workers -- you know, we are healthcare workers and we cannot, we're not people who enforce quarantines. QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE).
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, you know, I think Grady, you know, we have a lot of expertise in providing care to TB patients. We provide, you know, more care than any other hospital in the state of Georgia. We have a lot of expertise. You know, National Jewish is an excellent facility. I think the one thing National Jewish has is they have expertise in doing surgery. And, you know, for the last 50 years, surgery hasn't been a common treatment for TB because, you know, for drug sensitive cases, it's rarely, if ever, need. But it's different when you're dealing with highly drug resistant cases. And they have a lot of expertise given their nature as a referral center in doing surgery.
QUESTION: Did you speak with him and how is he doing? How does he feel about this whole situation?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't think that we're really at liberty to discuss specifics about his case. So, sorry, I can't really answer that.
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE) that the germ remains viable (INAUDIBLE).
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You know, things like sunlight and other things, UV radiation, will kill these germs. And also, you know, outside there's a quick dispersion. The thing about TB transmission is, it generally occurs, you know, after a prolonged exposure. Usually a brief encounter is not very likely to result in TB transmission. TB transmission is usually due to prolonged exposure. So those at greatest risk, and I'm not talking about this case but just in general with TB transmissions transmitted those the air, those who have prolonged exposure to infectious patients are at greatest risk of becoming infected.
HARRIS: And there you have it, doctors at Grady Memorial Hospital this morning upgrading us on this patient. Basically the time line of him leaving Grady and making his way to the National Jewish Hospital in Denver, where we understand he has landed. We also understand there is a news conference scheduled from that hospital at 10:15 a.m. Eastern Time. And we'll, of course, bring that to you live here in the NEWSROOM.
Rusty Dornin is here was.
Rusty, you have been looking into how the officials here in Atlanta, Fulton County specifically, handled the processing of this man's case. It provided some interesting challenges for the local health officials. First of all, was there ever a meeting between this infected man and health officials in Fulton County where they talked about how this man might proceed if he was determined to travel?
DORNIN: He was determined to have multiple drug resistant strain of tuberculosis on May 10th. They sat him down, the county health officials and his own personal physicians, and urged him three times during that meeting now to travel. They said he was very insistent he had plans he could not change, which we now, of course, know was his wedding and honeymoon that was planned abroad. And he suggested, well, what if I wear a mask. And hey said, look, if you're determined to travel, then, please, you must wear a mask.
HARRIS: So he was told, look, don't do this. Don't travel. And he was still determined to go forward. So the question then becomes, did the local authorities have any power at all to hold him, any authority to hold him if that's what they wanted to do?
DORNIN: They had no jurisdiction, as he told me.
HARRIS: None whatsoever.
DORNIN: They're not a police authority. But they were looking into -- they did ask the county attorney, what can we do if we don't want him to travel. And they said, well, first, you have to at least document that you told him not to travel. And they sent a letter to his house and tried to contact him the next day but could not reach him. He was unavailable. And then it turns out he traveled to Europe the following day.
The interesting thing is, I know on AMERICAN MORNING there were two students who were on the plane who apparently sat within a few rows of he and his fiance and they say they never saw any sign of him wearing a mask after he promised doctors that he would do that.
HARRIS: Oh, boy. He is an attorney, isn't he?
DORNIN: Yes, he's an attorney in Atlanta.
HARRIS: OK. Rusty, appreciate your follow-up on this. Thanks.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: And, of course, want to mention quickly that we will be carrying that news conference for you once the patient lands in Denver. You will see it there coming live from National Jewish Medical and Research Center. Really specialize in tuberculosis care and treatment. So we will bring that to you just as soon as it happens.
Meanwhile, from Congress to a corner of Pennsylvania, your money, a pet project and a whole lot of questions. Shedding light on secret spending in the NEWSROOM.
HARRIS: Russian spy, murder mystery. The accused killer now blaming British intelligence. That story ahead for you in the NEWSROOM.
COLLINS: He has tried and tried for five long years.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Rossian. R-o-s-s-i-a-n.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: Will Satir Fatel (ph) finally walk away National Spelling Bee champ today? Let's spell it out, last chance, in the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: Staying on top of this story about the gentleman with tuberculosis. We understand from the officials at Grady that he has sense -- that's my good friend Greg Moss from KUSA. That kind of stunned me. That is actually the news conference we're waiting for at National Jewish Medical and Research Center in Denver where we believe the patient has been taken. We learned from Grady officials just moments that he is, of course, no longer at that facility here in Atlanta. So we will wait for the news conference coming our way very shortly, we believe.
HARRIS: The presidential race. Candidates are getting ready to debate in the crucial state of New Hampshire. A debate you will see right here on CNN. Our Dana Bash wanted to know what voter there are thinking. She is part of the best political team on television.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DANA BASH, CNN CORRESPONDENT, (voice over): Spring in New Hampshire. Fans out to cheer on their minor league baseball team. Talk to anyone in the stands here and you'll also find an expert on the sport of politics.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I like Mitt Romney.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hillary.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Giuliani.
BASH: What issues are most important?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The war in Iraq.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The war.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The Iraq war.
BASH: But there's also this.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, I've been as ambivalent about the war as everyone else is. We're sort of dulled to it now. It is what it is. We have to be there. We'll be there as long as it takes.
BASH: And this.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If you are any viable candidate, you're going to be against the war in Iraq. Otherwise, you're going to lose a lot of votes.
BASH: And you're a Republican?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm a registered, proud to be Republican.
BASH: More and more, New Hampshire voters are concerned about the home front, like healthcare. This father of five is uninsured.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I, myself, experience, you know, getting ready to get operations and not being able to get the operation because of lack of insurance, not being able to come up with several thousand dollars to pay up front.
BASH: This mother of two worries about affordable education.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: State schools, especially in New England, are like from like 15 to 20 grand for your child to go to college. I mean, that's ridiculous. I mean, I make very good money, but that will still be tough on my income to send two kids to college.
BASH: Which candidates do they like? Most Democrats say they're still shopping, but impressed with their options. As for Republicans, an National CNN/Opinion Research poll showed only one in five is very satisfied with GOP candidates. It's not unusual to hear this . . .
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm rooting for Fred Thompson to get in there, I think.
BASH: No matter party, granite state voters are looking for a winner. And here, they found one. The New Hampshire Fisher Cats.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: CNN's Dana Bash reporting.
The candidates debate in the first big battleground of the campaign, live next week on CNN. The Democrats face-off on Sunday at 7:00 p.m. Eastern. The Republicans at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. And you will see it live right here on CNN.
GERRI WILLIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Gerri Willis.
Student loan interest rates are rising July 1st. We'll have your survival guide next on "Top Tips" in the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: And once again we are standing by for a news conference from the National Jewish Hospital in Denver, Colorado. We learned just a short time ago that the patient with a rare form of tuberculosis is actually on his way to that hospital. When that news conference begins, we will, of course, bring it to you right here live in the CNN NEWSROOM.
COLLINS: Also want to bring you this live. Looking at the numbers today. Dow Jones Industrial average, as you see there, up about 15 points or so, resting at 13,648. And the Nasdaq, I understand, is up, as you can see in the bottom right of your screen, about eight. So we're going to continue to watch these stories, talk with Susan Lisovicz a little bit later on.
HARRIS: College students take note, student loan rates are about to jump. Wow. The new rates, one month away, July 1st. CNN personal finance editor Gerri Willis has tips on what to expect and how to manage it.
Gerri, good morning to you.
OK.
WILLIS: Good morning, Tony. Good to see you.
HARRIS: Good to see you.
What's about to change here?
WILLIS: Well, rates are going up just under a percentage point, .08 percent, beginning July 1st, as you said. So if you graduated and you're in the six-month grace period or if you've taken out a Stafford Loan before July 1st of last year and you're in repayment, your rates going to be higher. Parents with plus loan will also see their rates go up just over 8 percent. Keep in mind, this is one of the smallest increases we've seen. In fact, the increase is less than $1 a month on a $10,000 loan, according to the folks we've talked to.
HARRIS: So what's your advice to students who, you know, who have these loans?
WILLIS: Got to consolidate. Look, that's rolling all your loans into one loan and locking in an interest rate. That makes the most sense for students who are in that six-month grace period. You lock up a lower rate than if you waited until you were in repayment. Parents will also benefit by consolidating plus loans because the interest rate could potentially go up to 9 percent with future rate hikes. And don't forget about those discounts lenders may be offering. Go to fnaid.org for details.
Tony.
HARRIS: Hey, Gerri, what's your advice if you are struggling right now to make your student loan payments?
WILLIS: Well, this happens. You know, if you're falling behind, get on the phone with your lender, explain your situation. If you're more than 270 days late repaying a federal loan, you're technically in default. That's when it's recorded on your credit report. You could be sued. Your wages and Social Security, hey, it could be garnished and a collection agency would charge you 18 percent interest on what you owe. That's really ugly. Bear in mind, it's very difficult to get your student loans discharged through bankruptcy. So you've got to take action.
HARRIS: What about your payment options? Many folks might not be aware of the fact that they have payment options.
WILLIS: You do if you're in trouble. Here are some of the repayment options available to you. An economic hardship deferral. Now this let's you pay just the interest on a loan every month. You can do this for up to three years.
There's also an alternate payment plan that lets you stretch out the life of the loan. This will result in lower monthly payments, but you'll pay more in interest over the life of the loan. As another options, lenders can also offer a payment plan pegged to your income. To figure out if you would qualify for some of these repayment plans, go to fnaid.org/calculators.
Tony.
HARRIS: Hey, that is a great heads up. Great advice, as always.
Gerri, what's coming up on the big "Open House" show this weekend?
WILLIS: Saturday morning, 9:30 a.m., right here on CNN. Prepare and protect. We're doing a hurricane special in Florida. You know, this is the start of the hurricane season and everybody's talking about it. We'll have tips on how to keep your home, your family safe, whether you're getting any kind of special weather this summer, this spring. I know folks are concerned about it. We've got some great information.
HARRIS: Hey, we're big fans of the show in the Harris household. We'll be there for "Open House."
WILLIS: All right. I'm glad to hear it. Thank you, Tony.
HARRIS: All right, Gerri. Have a great day.
WILLIS: You too.
COLLINS: They say he clogged in boxes around the globe with millions of e-mails. Now authorities say they have canned the spam man, coming up in the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Coming up on the half hour. You are in the CNN NEWSROOM. Good morning, everyone. I'm Tony Harris.
COLLINS: And I'm Heidi Collins. We are following new developments in the tuberculosis scare. This hour, doctors confirmed the patient with the potentially deadly drug resistant form of TB has left an Atlanta hospital and is in Denver. He planned to seek medical treatment at National Jewish Medical and Research Center.
The man's travels to Europe set off a global health alert. Health officials tried to contact about 80 people who flew with him on two transatlantic flights, Air France Flight 385 from Atlanta to Paris on May 12th, and Czech Air Flight 0104 from Prague to Montreal on May 24th.
We are await that news conference. Coming our way from National Jewish in Denver. You see the microphone there. Any minute now. It was originally for 10:15. So we continue to watch those microphone and bring it to you when it happens.
Meanwhile, he may have exposed dozens of air travelers to a dangerous disease, but did the globe-trekking passenger with drug resistant TB break any laws? Our senior legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin tackled that question on CNN's "Anderson Cooper 360."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: He seems to have avoided the law, rather than break it. He was told not to fly on a U.S. aircraft or fly into the United States. So, what he did was he flew on foreign aircraft into Canada and then drove into the United States. So, I don't know if he committed any criminal offense. But if someone was exposed and got sick or even died, then he might be in a great deal of trouble.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: The man says doctors did advise him not to fly, but did not order him not to.
HARRIS: Thirty-nine million dollars poured into a secretive federal agency and tucked away in a former department store? It's funded by you and it's protected by a powerful Congressman.
CNN's Drew Griffin went looking for answers. He is keeping them honest.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DREW GRIFFIN, INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's somewhere down there, a $39 million taxpayer gift to Johnstown, Pennsylvania, hidden among the shuttered steel mills and not so bustling streets two hours from Pittsburgh. It was also hidden here, too, among the pages and pages of this year's House Intelligence Bill, hidden until some Republican Congressman, including former FBI agent Mike Rogers dug it out.
REP. MIKE ROGERS, (R-MI): Subsequently they came forward and said, oh, this was an oversight.
GRIFFIN (on camera): Yes, after you caught it.
ROGERS: After we caught it.
GRIFFIN (voice-over): Caught what? An "earmark," a special spending request slipped into the Intelligence Bill by Pennsylvania Congressman John Murtha. The $39 million funds the National Drug Intelligence Center, located right here in Murtha's district on the fifth floor of a former Johnstown, Pennsylvania department store, 200 federal jobs.
What did they do with your $39 million at the National Drug Intelligence Center? No one inside would talk to us, neither would the parent agency, the Department of Justice. It was even hard finding NDIC employees heading to work, less than eager to share what they were up to.
GRIFFIN (on camera): Do you guys work at NDIC? Sir? Do you work at NDIC?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, you need to talk to our upper management.
GRIFFIN: I tried that. They won't talk to me.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, sorry, thank you.
GRIFFIN (voice-over): What the National Drug Intelligence Center was supposed to do when first proposed back in 1990, was gather information on the national drug war, then become a resource for local and federal agencies. Isn't that what the Drug Enforcement Agency, the Department of Justice, and even the FBI, already were doing? Answer, yes. According to the government accounting office report issued way back in 1993 when the NDIC first opened, that report found the NDIC was doing work already being done by 19 other agencies.
In 2005, the Office of Management and Budget asked the NDIC be shut down because it "has proven ineffective in achieving its assigned mission." U.S. News and World Report called it "a drug war boondoggle." With the DEA short on funds and under a hiring freeze, Congressman Rogers again proposed shutting down the NDIC this year, using the money to hire more drug agents.
ROGERS: Clearly, it would show that this is not the right place to place that money. They've wasted a lot of it already. And we're just throwing money down a rat hole when we've got serious challenges in the intelligence community and law enforcement community across this country.
GRIFFIN: Instead, the Republican found himself in an open fight with a powerful Democrat. Representative John Murtha threatened to eliminate earmarks in Representative Rogers district, $45 million worth.
ROGERS: This is old in the 1950s ward-style "Soprano" type politics that you go along to get along and you don't talk about these things in my district if you want something in your district.
GRIFFIN: The dispute ended on the House floor, with Congressman Murtha chastised for his back room threats, he ended up offering an apology. But, that $39 million for an agency that has proven ineffective is still in the Intelligence Bill. The federal jobs in Johnstown appear safe.
(on camera): And what does Congressman Murtha have to say in defense of the National Drug Intelligence Center here in Johnstown, Pennsylvania? Surprisingly, nothing at all.
(voice-over): "We have decided to decline a CNN interview," is what Murtha spokesman wrote in an e-mail who added the NDIC "was fully funded in last year's Congress."
I asked if Congressman Murtha would show us his other earmark requests. The spokesman told us his requests had all been submitted to the Appropriations Committee. "They are available for review with the committee." Then, we got another e-mail saying that he was mistaken, those earmarks aren't available for review after all.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: Drew Griffin joins us now. And Drew, how often does this kind of thing -- it seems crazy -- but how often does this kind of thing happen?
GRIFFIN: Look, this is done -- this is how business is done in Congress.
HARRIS: Business -- exactly.
GRIFFIN: Thousands of pages of earmarks in a bill, time after time after time. And the Democrats promised reform. And it's not happening.
HARRIS: Yes, OK. Drew, I had a couple of other questions for you but we need to get to the National Jewish Hospital now for an update on the situation there. Let's listen in very quickly.
(JOINED IN PROGRESS)
WILLIAM ALLSTETTER, NATL. JEWISH MEDICAL & RESEARCH CTR.: The patient with extensively resistant drug -- excuse me, folks -- the patient with extensively -- drug -- extensively drug resistant tuberculosis has arrived at National Jewish. He arrived at about 7:45 a.m. this morning. He said he felt fine. I talked to him briefly. He looked pretty healthy. That's about all I can say now.
He's going to be -- I can tell you a little bit about what we're expecting to do today, his evaluation. The first thing that will be done, he's going to have a patient history and a basic physical exam. The patient history sort of goes over some of his health history. It also talks about where he's been and his social contact to see if we can determine where he got the disease.
He will also have some blood tests, a lot of baseline tests to see, especially liver and kidney function and white blood cell count, because when he goes on his regimen of antibiotics those sometimes can be toxic to those, especially to liver and kidney function.
Later in the day he -- he'll do an induced sputem test, which basically that -- he inhales some salt water and then coughs into a test tube and we smear that respiratory secretions on to a test -- on to a slide, stain it and look under the microscope to see if we can see the tuberculos organisms. That -- from the induced sputem will also grow the organism in culture to see if we see evidence there. And as we grow it in culture, we will use those cultures to evaluate his drug resistance.
We've already received some information from the CDC about drugs he's resistant to and that will guide some of our initial treatments. He is expected to go on two antibiotics today, one oral and one intravenous. And as I said, those are guided by some of the info from CDC. We will do further tests on other drugs that they haven't tested to see if we can find more that he will be treated for.
Late in the day, he will get a CAT scan, CT scan and lung x-ray. So, today is really evaluation and just beginning treatment. I think that's primarily what I had to say. I guess I'll take questions.
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE).
ALLSTETTER: Well, he just -- I didn't see anything normal. He looked kind of like you guys, more or less -- tanned. He walked on his own, although -- he was able -- he just walked a little ways. We did take him on a wheelchair a fair amount of way. But, he said he ran until just before he took his trip. He said he felt fine. He really did, to my unprofessional view, looked healthy. But of course, I couldn't see very well because he was wearing a mask.
QUESTION: Can you describe the situation of what you were wearing, what he was wearing, what room you were in, give us a feel for where this occurred, how it occurred, what he ...
ALLSTETTER: I don't know if I can remember what he was wearing. It -- he came in through the building across the way. Our BB building is the other side. He came in -- came in an ambulance, escorted by federal marshals. He stepped out of the ambulance. He was dressed nicely. I think it was tan slacks or something. But he looked dressed nicely.
He got up, he walked down a couple of flights to our subbasement. Got in the wheelchair, came -- we have a tunnel that comes across under Colorado, he came in there. Got to our elevator, went up to the room and went into the room and I left him there. There was a -- yes?
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE).
ALLSTETTER: Well, OK. We don't know, you know, patients like this often typically, I would say weeks to months. You know, it's really going to depend on the extent of his disease and how well we can treat it. The treatment is primarily you're trying to look for medications that he can respond to or that kill the bug, essentially.
And then it's also a majority of our multi-drug resistant patients also get surgery to cut out diseased tissue because you remove a large number of the organisms, there are fewer there and you have a little better chance at fighting it. But that's to be decided still.
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE).
ALLSTETTER: Well, we're the experts. We've had experience at this. We've been treating tuberculosis for over 100 years. We've been treating drug resistant tuberculosis for at least two decades. And we see -- we see cases all the time. I mean, not a ton at this point because tuberculosis is at a almost historic low in the United States, but we probably see about half a dozen cases a year that are referred from all over the country.
And it's sort of a three-prong thing actually. Our docs are really experienced at this. Then, we've got a reference laboratory that is really set up to determine the drug's susceptibility. And then, down the street at the University of Colorado Hospital, we've got surgeons who are probably the most experienced in the world at doing this type of surgery, to remove the diseased tissue.
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE).
ALLSTETTER: Yes, his wife was with him. He is a young man. I don't know exactly, 31-years-old, is what he is.
QUESTION: Will his wife also be tested now? I know before she ...
ALLSTETTER: I don't know -- she'll be obviously tested. I thought I read somewhere but I don't know that she was -- she was not infected. But that's not something I know about.
QUESTION: Can you describe to us the (INAUDIBLE)?
ALLSTETTER: It's a pretty -- it's just a basic -- it looks like a basic hospital room. It's a two-bed hospital room, but it has negative air pressure, which means we pump a ton of air into the hallways, build up the pressure and the air goes into the hospital room. It's drawn out through the vents in the hospital room and then anything that -- air that's leaving the hospital room goes through a UV -- ultraviolet germicidal filter. So, any organisms that leave are killed before they can be expelled into the air.
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE) at all to let him know or to help him understand what it's going to be like for him, if he ends up being in that room for months?
ALLSTETTER: I think that's what they're probably explaining to him right now.
QUESTION: And -- I guess go through that process because of a lot of TB patients go through that process and it's not easy having to adjust to life.
ALLSTETTER: Yes, he's going to be pretty -- as I understand, it's going to be pretty much living in that room for quite a while. He will go out today for the CT scan and the x-ray, but everything else is done in his room. He may not leave that room much for several weeks.
QUESTION: How will the doctors and nurses how will they have to ...
ALLSTETTER: Protect themselves? They will wear masks. Oh, I meant to bring a mask out. I was going to show you the mask they have. But it's a basic mask. They are all -- they are actually fit tested with a sort of -- just a fabric mask. But they are checked to make sure that it really seals up for them and if they can't, if they have -- if their faces are sort of odd and don't fit this mask, they wear a larger mask. Almost like those moon suits that you see that, you know, but just on the head. So, they'll all wear respiratory protection, is basically it.
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE).
ALLSTETTER: Well, the -- all I saw was the people who were escorting him, the ambulance, the federal marshals, they were all just wearing basic masks. He had a basic mask on and that was it.
QUESTION: When they're finished with that, do they have to go shower? You know, the doctors ...
ALLSTETTER: I don't believe -- I have not heard anything to that extent.
QUESTION: Is he still under federal protection (INAUDIBLE)?
ALLSTETTER: As far as I know, he's under federal protection but I don't know anything. I couldn't really tell you for sure. We're not expecting to have armed guards at his door. But, we've got a little security around to sort of just make sure that -- it's more to make sure that you guys don't get in than he gets out.
QUESTION: Sir, we don't have a record of going in to visit him. He does have a record of defying doctors' orders. So, I presume the guards are also to keep him in there, correct?
ALLSTETTER: He seemed -- from what I understand, he's pretty cooperative at this point. And he wants to be treated and he wants to get well. So, I think he was happy to be here and, you know, if he wants to get well, he's going to stay there and I have no indication that he's going anywhere.
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE) said that you thought was a bit funny or just surprised you.
ALLSTETTER: No, I'm sorry. I wish I had a nice little anecdote but I can't think of anything. He just -- he seemed like a very personable young man. And ...
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE).
ALLSTETTER: Yes, yes, and he said he still felt fine. I asked him specifically that. He said he felt fine.
QUESTION: What about other (ph) patients?
ALLSTETTER: Don't know.
QUESTION: I was here about ten years ago and was inside, and covered a patient who had drug resistant tuberculosis. (INAUDIBLE). How big of a problem (INAUDIBLE) and what kind of monitoring is set up to follow this (ph)?
ALLSTETTER: I don't know a whole lot about that. That's going to be something the CDC -- I can tell you that I do -- our docs have told us that there are about 100 multi-drug resistant cases in the U.S. every year. There are four other multi-drug resistant wards that I'm aware of that are in Texas, California, New York and Florida, where more of the cases occur.
But as I understand, those are run by state entities and you basically have to be a resident of that state to get into those facilities. We get probably a majority of the other cases, but they're coming from a lower incidence area. So, as I said, we get about a half a dozen cases a year.
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE).
ALLSTETTER: Well, it's patient privacy. And we -- my guess is he'll be game to do it. But -- I saw him for you know, all of about two minutes. And all I wanted to do was ask him permission to say, can we say you've arrived and go from there. We'll work on it. You know, but this guy is -- HIPAA rules and all the patient privacy still apply essentially, until he says you can release my name and tell me that.
QUESTION: And you said that you have (INAUDIBLE).
ALLSTETTER: Well, I think it's XDR. That -- we have 100 cases of multi-drug resistant. Sort of -- XDR is extensively drug resistant. It's sort of the next level up of resistant to more drugs. And we believe we have had maybe one to three cases since 2000, but you know, the definition of extensively drug resistant tuberculosis didn't even -- was just created earlier this year.
QUESTION: In one to three cases, were those cured?
ALLSTETTER: You know, I don't know what the -- I don't know what they're -- yes, I couldn't tell you at this point. We're going to have to get that later.
QUESTION: Will he get the CAT scan here or will he ...
ALLSTETTER: Yes, he'll get a CAT scan here.
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE) When did you find out (INAUDIBLE)?
ALLSTETTER: We sort of knew by late yesterday. But you know, at one point, he was coming later, he was coming earlier. Things were changing up until, you know, this morning almost when the exact arrival time was. Sometime late this afternoon we had an indication he would probably be here today. But it was really changing all the time.
QUESTION: Do you know what his occupation is and whether the people that he works with ...
ALLSTETTER: No, I don't.
QUESTION: Do you have any indication as to whether he'll have surgery (INAUDIBLE)?
ALLSTETTER: No, we don't. They -- we don't even know if it's going to be at this point.
QUESTION: Is Dr. Daily (ph) going to be his doctor primarily?
ALLSTETTER: Well, Gwen Hewitt (ph) is the attending physician for, I believe, one or two more days. Maybe only one more day, the end of the month. And then Charles Daily (ph) becomes the attending physician. But, they are both intimately involved in it. So, I think you can -- they're both going to be caring for him. And I think I put their names on your press release. I think ...
QUESTION: Will you be updating us further?
ALLSTETTER: Yes, I'm going to try to do that. The press -- we got a press conference today at 1:30. Docs will be here. We'll try to have call-in available. So, that's going to be the time when somebody can -- who actually is a doc can tell you a little bit more.
QUESTION: Will it be here or inside?
ALLSTETTER: It'll probably -- it'll be inside, I believe. We're still a little -- figuring that out. But we have reserved a room inside. I think that's going to work better for a phone, and ...
QUESTION: Do you have video of his arrival?
ALLSTETTER: No, we did not.
QUESTION: Pictures shot at all?
ALLSTETTER: No, we didn't shoot any. OK? Folks, that cover you?
COLLINS: There you have it. You've been listening to William Allstetter, he is the media relations gentleman with National Jewish Medical and Research Center in Denver, Colorado. Just quickly reminding you, in case you missed the top of that what happened so far today. Apparently, the person who has tuberculosis arrived at about 7:45 mountain time. And I believe that I heard him say he's 31-years- old.
Just telling you a little bit about this video that you're seeing here. He did arrive with federal marshals escorting him. If you look closely, I believe that you will see him wearing a mask as well as those federal marshals coming out of the ambulance there and going into National Jewish Medical and Research Center.
We believe, from what the gentleman told us there, that he will be staying there weeks, possibly months. He will begin two antibiotics today. They'll do, of course, the full medical history with him and several more tests will be taken. Walked into the facility on his own, though.
So we will continue to story -- follow that story for you, of course. A lot of people talking about this one. And bring you any updates should they happen.
SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Susan Lisovicz on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. Why the floor of the world's biggest stock exchange is shrinking, next on NEWSROOM. You're watching CNN, the most trusted name in news.
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HARRIS: It may be the most recognizable image of capitalism in the world, but even the mighty New York stock exchange is vulnerable to market pressures. And now the landmark at the corner of Broad and Wall Street is making some painful changes to stay competitive.
Susan Lisovicz reports from the New York Stock Exchange trading floor.
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SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Tradition is as much a part of the New York Stock Exchange as its flag-covered columns. The bell ringing that opens and closes each session is a celebrated fixture, attracting rock star CEOs and actual rock stars themselves.
And the greatest tradition of all, the NYSE's vast trading floor, where buyers and sellers have haggled over stock prices for 215 years.
STEVEN GRASSO, NYSE TRADER: From the minute I stepped on the floor it was like stepping on to the New York Yankees lawn. I thought it was something where I was excited to be down here at the NYSE. I felt like we're always on the cutting edge.
TEDDY WEISBERG, SEAPORT SECURITIES: There's a whole energy, and it's kind of the honey that gets me to come in the door every day. And I suspect it works that way for everybody else that comes here.
LISOVICZ: But the floor is much quieter these days because of a new trading system that favors automation. Eighty percent of the average daily volume at the NYSE is now executed electronically, four times more than just a year and a half ago. Hundreds of people have been let go, so many that the NYSE recently closed one of its five trading rooms.
The new executive in charge of trading at the NYSE came from Goldman Sachs trading desk.
He spoke to CNN exclusively.
DUNCAN NIEDERAUER, NYSE PRES. & CO-COO: Well, a lot of the market is interested in getting executed as fast as they can. What we're really trying to balance is, does that always get you the best price? And it's not clear to me that it does. So I think you'll see us endeavoring to try to marry the two.
LISOVICZ: The average speed of a trade executed by a broker is nine seconds. Compare that to an automated trade, which takes less than 300 milliseconds.
MIKE RUTIGLIANO, WJB CAPITAL GROUP: I don't ever try to compete with a machine. I, on the other hand, want to try to add some human element, some decision making, some discretion, some intuition, that frankly is very hard to program into computers.
LISOVICZ: But speed is vital to the NYSE, which merged in April with Euronext. Like the world's other major stock exchanges, Euronext is completely automated.
KENNY POLCARI, ICAP EQUITIES: You start to get the global economy and the ability for brokers to interact, you know, in London, in South America, in Asia, then I think what you'll see is that the world will come together and it'll settle down. Albeit different than what it is, but it will settle in.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LISOVICZ: Trader says the computers are fast but they can't think, that in many cases they can get their clients a better price, and that they can also reduce the volatility that comes with a knee- jerk reaction and the hyperspeed of electronic trading.
Nonetheless, the downsizing here continues. Just today Lehman Brothers announced it was laying off all of its clerks at the NYSE. And earlier this month Sanford Bernstein, another brokerage firm, shocked traders here when they said they were eliminating the entire presence on the NYSE.
So while the trading floor here is getting quieter, Tony, the stock market, of course, is just roaring hot. The Dow industrials look like they could close at another all-time high. And the S&P 500, of course, reached that milestone yesterday, for the first time reaching a new high that it had not seen since the dot-com craze in March of 2000 -- Tony.
HARRIS: Wow, the haggling on the floor, that is an iconic image.
LISOVICZ: And it's something that traders would say benefits the customer as well.
HARRIS: Susan, great to see you. Susan Lisovicz on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange for us.
Susan, thanks.
LISOVICZ: You're welcome.
COLLINS: A patient with a potentially deadly germ on the go again -- moved to this hospital, a medical and research facility in Denver, National Jewish. Extreme tuberculosis scare, coming up in the NEWSROOM.
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