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American Morning
Swine Flu Virus Spreading in the U.S.; Inside Mexico City Hospital's Ground Zero; White House Apologizes for Plane Scare that Buzzed in Manhattan; Obama's Strategy to Win the War in Afghanistan; Obama's Busy 100 Days
Aired April 28, 2009 - 06:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome. Glad you're with us on this Tuesday, April 28th. I'm Kiran Chetry.
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning to you. I'm John Roberts. We've got a lot to cover this morning on the swine flu outbreak. We'll be breaking it all down for you in the next 15 minutes here in the "Most News in the Morning."
CNN learning that lawmakers have scheduled an emergency meeting in Washington as cases are now spreading across the United States. Right now, three more states with suspected cases of the virus.
Mexico is ground zero for the swine flu outbreak. More than 150 people have died there.
Our Dr. Sanjay Gupta got exclusive access inside a hospital that was flooded with swine flu patients. He's live in Mexico City with that report for us this morning.
And with the swine flu spreading, some countries have banned the import of pork products from the United States and Mexico. And the Food and Drug Administration authorizing the emergency release of the flu drugs Tamiflu and Relenza in connection with the outbreak. We'll speak with the former head of the FDA, David Kessler coming up.
CHETRY: And in just a few hours, a Senate subcommittee will hold an emergency hearing on the swine flu. This is from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as well as the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases are expected to testify.
In just the past 24 hours, new probable cases are now being reported in New Jersey as well as South and North Carolina, and that's in addition to the 47 cases confirmed in five states.
The illnesses though have all been mild. Only one patient was hospitalized and no one has died, but the swine flu virus is quickly spreading far beyond North America.
There are now confirmed and suspected cases in Europe, in Asia, and New Zealand. In the past few minutes, Israel is confirming its first case. The World Health Organization raising the pandemic level to phase four meaning the virus is spreading human-to-human at the community level. ROBERTS: Also this morning, the accounting firm of Ernst & Young confirming one employee at its offices in Times Square was diagnosed with the swine flu. The company says the person became sick after contact with a family member who had been exposed to the virus. The company does not believe that she infected any co-workers. The cases are spreading across the United States.
Our Alina Cho is here with us this morning looking into that. What are the latest numbers for us?
ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, John, it's quickly changing as you might imagine. Good morning, guys. Good morning, everybody.
You know, if you add up the numbers from the CDC and the states by our count at CNN, the total, 47 confirmed cases right here in the United States. And, of course, the big fear among U.S. officials and ordinary citizens alike is that it may get worse before it gets better.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHO (voice-over): People across America are worried they may be next to catch the rapidly spreading swine flu virus. So far, most of the newly confirmed cases are students at the Saint Francis Preparatory School in New York. None appeared to me serious and no one has been hospitalized. Officials anticipate as testing continues the number of confirmed cases will rise.
MAYOR MICHAEL BLOOMBERG (I), NEW YORK: We believe that there were probably more than 100 cases of swine flu at the school and lab tests are confirming what we have suspected.
CHO: The State Department is urging all Americans to avoid none essential travel to Mexico. And some passengers traveling back from Mexico on Monday were seen wearing protective masks.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Everybody went to the airport, had to wear one of these until they went on the plane.
CHO: With Americans becoming more nervous, President Obama tried to reassure them.
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We are closely monitoring the emerging cases of swine flu in the United States. This is obviously a cause for concern and requires a heightened state of alert. But it's not a cause for alarm.
CHO: The most effective way known to treat the virus is with anti-viral medications like Tamiflu and the federal government is mobilizing its resources.
JANET NAPOLITANO, SECRETARY, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY: All states will have access to the national stockpile and full deployment is expected by the 3rd of May.
(END VIDEOTAPE) CHO: In fact, the federal government has released about 25 percent of its stockpile of Tamiflu. That's roughly 12 million doses and that anti-viral medication will be delivered to the states.
The acting head of the CDC says the government is still trying to decide whether to start production of a specific swine flu vaccine. But, guys, as you know, as this spreads person-to-person, viruses like this tend to mutate and it makes it harder to treat. And so, coming up with a swine flu vaccine, a specific one, could be a challenge.
ROBERTS: All right. Alina Cho for us this morning. Alina, thanks.
CHO: You bet.
ROBERTS: As Alina mentioned, common flu medications are effective against this particular virus. Last night, Anderson Cooper spoke to a young woman who goes to that preparatory school in New York City where dozens of teenagers got sick, and she said she is proof that the medication is working.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR, "ANDERSON COOPER 360": Arianna, you went to the hospital on Saturday. Did they give you Tamiflu?
ARIANNA ANASTOS, LIKELY HAD SWINE FLU: Yes.
COOPER: So how soon after taking the Tamiflu did you start to feel better?
ANASTOS: I'd say two pills, I started feeling better.
COOPER: How do you deal with the fear about spreading it? I mean, Arianna, were you worried that you might give it to other family members?
ANASTOS: Yes. I mean, my parents would like come into the room but they would wear masks and gloves, and they wouldn't allow anyone into the room. And they wouldn't allow me like to touch anything in the house. And also my mom would like spray it with Lysol. So, yes, no one got sick.
CHRIS ANASTOS, DAUGHTER LIKELY HAD SWINE FLU: We took every precaution we could to prevent the spreading. And obviously my wife and I and my other daughter did not get it, so it worked for us.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: The girl's father went on to say that his daughter is almost back to 100 percent now.
CHETRY: Well, this morning, the federal government is warning Americans to avoid nonessential travel to Mexico where it is believed that the swine flu cases originated. The CDC says the travel advisory is being issued out of "an abundance of caution." Health officials in Mexico say the swine flu outbreak is suspected in 152 deaths and the government is taking extraordinary steps to prevent more infections.
There are armed police officers guarding hospitals. Schools across the country are closed until next week and right now officials say they're considering shutting down public transportation if more people get sick.
And Mexican health officials suspect more than 1,600 people have swine flu. The biggest concern is in Mexico City. Millions of masks have been distributed to people there. And CNN's chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta is on the ground in Mexico City, where, Sanjay, you had exclusive access to a hospital there where they're treating patients with the virus. What's the latest?
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, part of the reason we wanted to get in the hospitals was because I think that there's going to be some lessons learned with how they dealt with this outbreak in the early stages and how they're dealing with it now. A lot of it is taking place behind those hospital doors.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GUPTA (voice-over): It started off like any other flu -- springtime in one of the world's largest cities. But within a week, Mexico City would look like this.
(on camera): It's hard to believe this but what you're looking at is a uniformed officer carrying a rifle outside a public hospital. We are here outside one of the largest public hospitals in Mexico City. You can't get inside. They're very concerned about crowds gathering in the wake of the swine flu.
There are lots of patients inside. Many of them waiting to see doctors. Many of them have been here for several hours. They have their masks on, but this is what the situation has become here in Mexico City.
(voice-over): Chaos, and yet patients need care. They continue to flood in all day, all night. The question is, how do you treat what you don't understand?
(on camera): They came in. They were in their 20s, 30s, and 40s. They weren't the elderly or the very young that you typically associate with the flu, but these are people in the prime of their lives. They were getting sick, they were dying, and the doctors here were mystified.
Over the next couple of weeks, they had a medical mystery to solve. And a lot of that solving took place right behind these gates.
We also spoke with Mexico City's mayor.
How worried are you?
MAYOR MARCELO EBRARD, MEXICO CITY: Very worried.
GUPTA: Very worried. (voice-over): The hospitals are overwhelmed not only with patients but also with press. But we were able to get in.
(on camera): I'll tell you what? It's next to impossible to get into a hospital like this one. Finally, I told them I was a doctor. They let me in with a small camera so we can try and figure out how they're taking care of these patients with the swine flu. Let's take a look.
(voice-over): We now know over the last two weeks nearly 2,000 people came to hospitals like this one in Mexico and around 150 died.
(on camera): As you can see, this is one of the hallways where they're taking care of a lot of the patients with the swine flu. As you can notice here, there are no patients in the hallway. They're trying to keep all the patients sequestered in the room.
(voice-over): But the key to all of this is figuring out who exactly needs treatment.
(on camera): One of the things that's so critical in an outbreak like this is trying to identify patients early. For patients at hospitals like this for two weeks before anyone could figure out what was going on, finally, someone realized that there was probably a virus the world has never seen before. And they went to laboratories like this one to try and sort that out.
(voice-over): The hospital management did not want us to see these hospital workers, upset because they weren't given masks or meds. They came out anyway and told us. Under all the pressure, Mexico City in springtime is starting to show cracks and everyone is hoping the swine flu can be controlled -- and soon.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GUPTA: Now a couple of points of context here -- it is hard -- any viewer who's watching right now plays a very low likelihood of developing swine flu themselves, statistically speaking. And also keep in mind, we're talking about swine flu. This is April. The seasonal flu, which occurs typically in the winter months, kills around 36,000 Americans every year on average. So, this is just a little bit of scale reference, Kiran.
CHETRY: Right. And again, it's important to point out that in the United States, no one has died from this. One person hospitalized so far and some people in this -- sequestering in their own homes. When though should a person start to worry? If you're feeling under the weather, when do you think you should go to the doctor?
GUPTA: Well, you know, it's a good question. And there's a lot of overlap between swine flu symptoms and seasonal flu symptoms, or the flu that people are more accustomed to.
A couple of things that doctors have told me that sort of struck me. One is the fever associated with swine flu tends to come on early and is very high, usually over 103 degrees. So simply taking your temperature often can be one of the earliest signs.
Two other things sort of, of note. One is sudden dizziness when it comes to swine flu, and also a lot of the gastrointestinal things, nausea and vomiting, for example. Again, there can be some overlap here with the regular flu. But if you have some suspicion that you might have been infected for some reason and you have some of those symptoms, get it checked out.
CHETRY: All right. Sanjay in Mexico City this morning with exclusive access to one of the hospitals trying to get a handle on this. Thanks.
Also when you go on-line this morning, you can ask Sanjay questions on Twitter. Head to twitter.com/amfix.
And stick around at the bottom of the hour. We'll be talking with Lieutenant General Russel Honore about the response to this health emergency. He led the military responses to hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
Also at 6:45 Eastern, Dr. Richard Besser, acting director of the Centers for Disease Control, will tell us what's being done to contain the spread of swine flu here in the U.S.
ROBERTS: There are other stories that we're watching this morning. Right now, Pope Benedict XVI is in central Italy meeting with victims of this month's deadly earthquake in L'Aquila. The magnitude 6.3 quake killed nearly 300 people in the region and wiped out castles and churches that date back to medieval times. Pope Benedict will also meet with volunteers who are caring for the thousands of people who've been left homeless.
The iPhone and Verizon may soon join forces. According to the "New York Times," high level discussions between the two companies are under way. The phone could be available to Verizon customers as soon as next year.
Right now, AT&T has exclusive rights to the iPhone until 2010.
And a frightening 9/11 flashback for thousands of New Yorkers. A presidential plane trailed by an F-16 flies low over Manhattan not far from Ground Zero. We'll tell you who thought of the idea and President Obama's response.
It's 11 minutes now after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning. President Obama staying on top of the swine flu outbreak. A full report on the situation has been added to his daily intelligence briefing.
And this morning new probable cases are being reported. This time in New Jersey, North Carolina and South Carolina. And in an effort to slow the spread of the virus, the government is asking Americans to avoid nonessential travel to Mexico.
In Japan and China, where they are still scarred by memories of SARS and bird flu, passengers are being scanned for fevers using thermal imaging devices that can tell based on the color of the person whether they are above the normal of 98.6.
CHETRY: Well, this morning, a public relations mess. The White House is apologizing for a photo shoot involving one of President Obama's planes. Without warning the public, a low-flying Boeing 747, there you see it, buzzing over the Manhattan skyline, Lower Manhattan, passing over the Statue of Liberty. It frightened thousands who thought they were under attack yet again.
CNN's Alina Cho is following this for us this morning. You take a look at the local New York papers, you got the "New York Post" here, "Scare Force One." And the "Daily News" even less subtle -- "How Dumb Was This?" is how they put it. Widespread panic after -- and the mayor furious because they were taking souvenir photos.
CHO: Yes, I think mea culpa is the word that we want to use, right, guys? Good morning. Good morning, everybody.
Needless to say, it was a frantic scene in New York yesterday. A Boeing 747 which operates as Air Force One when the president is onboard flew over Lower Manhattan at low altitudes, apparently without notifying key officials. Now, why would they do this?
Well, apparently, because the White House wanted new file photos of the plane near the Statue of Liberty. Here's the video on YouTube. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Run, run.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, my God.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What's going on?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't know.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHO: For many, it evoked awful memories of 9/11. New Yorkers, including our iReporters, called the sight of the low aircraft in the sky unsettling, an absolutely travesty. After learning about the photo shoot, CNN was told President Obama was furious about it. So, too, was New York City's mayor, Michael Bloomberg.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAYOR MICHAEL BLOOMBERG (I), NEW YORK: Why the Defense Department wanted to do a photo op right around the site of the World Trade Center catastrophe defies imagination. Poor judgment would be a nice way to phrase it, but they did. They should know how sensitive people would be if they had low-flying planes down around the World Trade Center site.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHO: Especially in this city. Mayor Bloomberg clearly holding his tongue there.
The director of the White House military office responded to the scare saying, "Last week, I approved a mission over New York. I take responsibility for that decision. While federal authorities took the proper steps to notify state and local authorities in New York and New Jersey, it's clear that the mission created confusion and disruption."
Mayor Bloomberg says he was not told about it. Now Senator Chuck Schumer of New York said the incident borders on "being either cruel or very, very stupid."
I mean, you're hearing people talk about this everywhere, prompted building evacuations both in New York and New Jersey, guys. One person said there was no warning. It looked like the plane was about to come into us.
"I'm a therapist," this woman said, "and I actually had a panic attack." So, I mean, it's really a scary moment.
CHETRY: Almost looks the same as it did in the moments before the plane crashed into the World Trade Center.
CHO: It does. I mean, and you really can see it and hear it on YouTube. It's just incredible to see. I mean, thankfully nothing awful happened, but to think it was over a photo shoot, you know. Clearly, this won't happen again.
CHETRY: Hopefully not. Alina, thank you.
ROBERTS: Stopping the spread of the swine flu, the FDA clears emergency use of anti-viral drugs to get a grip on the new strain. But are U.S. health officials prepared to respond to a full-blown pandemic? We'll speak with the former head of the FDA coming up.
President Obama focusing on Afghanistan, where progress seems to be slipping away. So how can the administration turn things around and rebuild Afghanistan?
Seventeen minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning. The swine flu outbreak in the U.S. and Mexico raising questions now about the safety of pork as well as pork products. China and Russia now banning imports from the two countries. And the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has also authorized emergency uses of anti-flu drugs Tamiflu and Relenza to help contain the outbreak.
David Kessler is a former FDA commissioner, and his new book, "The End of Overeating: Taking Control of the Insatiable American Appetite," is also out now, and he joins us. We originally invited you on the show to talk a little bit about the book, and we'll get to it.
But first, the news about the swine flu. We're hearing about more cases here in the United States. No one has been -- no one has died and only one person has been hospitalized here in the U.S. But explain for us who should be concerned and how concerned should we be at this point?
DAVID KESSLER, FORMER COMMISSIONER, FOOD & DRUG ADMINISTRATION: Federal officials are really in an information gathering phase. You know, the disease spectrum in the United States is very different than in Mexico right now. So what we're really talking about is prevention, not alarm.
CHETRY: And when we talk about releasing emergency uses for Tamiflu and Relenza, also apparently a diagnostic test to help get a grip on this new strain, how does it work? And when should people be taking these drugs?
KESSLER: There are effective anti-viral medicines for swine flu, but it's very important that people do not take these medicines indiscriminately. You should only take these under the care of a physician.
CHETRY: That's because the virus can then become immune, right, and mutate? Easier if more people are taking the anti-virals?
KESSLER: Exactly. We want prudent use of these medicines when indicated under the care of a physician.
CHETRY: Some people are concerned right now about whether or not they should eat pork. The CDC says it's absolutely fine, but we have China, Russia and the Philippines banning the import of it from Mexico and to some U.S. states as well. Is there any connection between eating fully cooked pork and getting swine flu?
KESSLER: Absolutely not. We need to clear up this misconception. This influenza is not spread through food. It's spread through respiratory droplets. Food is not a vector.
CHETRY: Would we be able to get a vaccine up and running quicker than let's say six months to start immunizing people against it?
KESSLER: No, vaccines usually get developed for the next flu season. So it's not immediately available but there are anti-viral medicines if indicated.
CHETRY: And I want to ask you a question about your book. As FDA commissioner, you were famous for going after the tobacco industry. And in your new book, "The End of Eating" you also sort of go after the food industry saying that the food industry manipulates people to overeat and also has hijacked our brains. Explain that.
KESSLER: We now have the science which show for millions of Americans who have a difficult time controlling their eating that their brains are being excessively activated. It's as if their brains are being hijacked by very salient stimuli that's far effective. Sugar, fat and salt.
CHETRY: Sugar, fat and salt in a lot of our processed foods, you're saying is part of the reason why we're seeing an obesity epidemic.
KESSLER: The food industry has always said that they're just giving consumers what they want. We now know that they are excessively activating the brains of millions of Americans.
CHETRY: So what's your advice as a former FDA commissioner for people to keep their weight under control?
KESSLER: Note that once those circuits get laid down, the only thing you really can do -- I mean, there are ways to do it, but you have to lay down new circuitry. It's almost food rehab.
CHETRY: Wow, all right. Well, the book is very interesting. Dr. David Kessler, thanks so much for being with us this morning. Good to talk to you.
KESSLER: Good to talk to you.
CHETRY: John?
ROBERTS: Getting a grip on the spread of swine flu in the United States, we'll ask the acting commissioner of the Centers for Disease Control what health officials are doing to protect Americans.
And President Obama moving forward with his new strategy for the war in Afghanistan. But is more firepower enough to take back a country from slipping into terrorists' hands?
It's 25 minutes now after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning. A little more than 15 minutes from now, we'll be talking to Richard Besser who's the acting director of the Centers for Disease Control about what the government is doing to contain the spread of swine flu in the United States.
CHETRY: Well, tomorrow, President Obama hits 100 days in office. And we're marking the event with our special series, "Memo to the President." Today, we're looking at what may be one of the president's toughest foreign policy challenges, that's Afghanistan.
CNN's Barbara Starr is live at the Pentagon. And, Barbara, of course, this was one of the president's campaign promises to send more troops and to refocus on the war in Afghanistan?
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: It is, indeed, Kiran. And he is living up to his campaign promise of sending more troops to try and win the war. But what we have learned is it's the Afghan cop on the beat who may ultimately be the ticket to success.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
STARR (voice-over): Mr. President, the Kabul central market may never be safe enough for you to walk its streets, but it is here, a key Afghanistan strategy of yours is being put to the test. Unless Afghans believe their own government can protect them, the plan to send another 21,000 U.S. troops won't be enough to win this war.
Here in police district number one, the police chief, Colonel Abdul Rahman Rahimi (ph), runs a tight security net.
(on camera): He and his men do this by being out on the streets, talking to shopkeepers. They know what's going on here. They know the people who belong in this neighborhood. They know the people who don't belong here. And as a result, things are going pretty good here.
The shops are busy. Women are comfortable coming out in this neighborhood. Children are out. You can see around me business is very brisk.
(voice-over): About one-fifth of the U.S. forces coming here will train Afghan forces, including the police who need training, equipment, and the confidence to challenge militants. Your commanders across the country say it's critical because the police are increasingly being attacked by the Taliban for trying to undermine the government.
BRIG. GEN. JOHN NICHOLSON, U.S. ARMY: They're attempting to reduce the capacity of the government to secure and govern the people.
STARR: Afghans say they want the Taliban gone but differ on whether the police provide enough security.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Usually the security is very good.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think security is not very good here and the security not as good as we're expecting.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
STARR: So, in this neighborhood of Kabul that we visited, things were going pretty good. But even the police chief told us just a few blocks away there had been threats of car bombings and suicide attacks. So on the streets of Afghanistan, still a long way to go -- Kiran.
CHETRY: Barbara Starr for us at the Pentagon seeing it firsthand. Thanks so much.
As we mentioned, tomorrow marks President Obama's 100th day in office. So you can join the best political team on television for a CNN prime-time event. We'll be grading the president on how he's done so far. At 8:00, President Obama will hold a live news conference. We also want to know how you think he's doing, so make your voice heard on CNN.com/reportcard.
ROBERTS: Thirty minutes now past the hour. The swine flu outbreak spreading. Just this morning, Israel confirming its first case of the virus.
Here at home, there are now 50 confirmed cases in five states. Now all of them are said to be mild. That number could grow as New Jersey, North Carolina and South Carolina look into possible cases of swine flu there.
The swine flu outbreak providing a Wall Street windfall for the makers of the anti-flu drugs Tamiflu and Relenza. Shares of GlaxoSmithKline, which makes Relenza, jumped almost 6 percent on Monday. The drugmaker Roche, producer of Tamiflu, was up nearly 4 percent. Some smaller biotech companies involved in vaccine research also soared yesterday.
This morning, it's up to the United Auto Workers to approve painful concessions to keep Chrysler from going under. Last night, factory level, union leaders voted unanimously to recommend members slashed their pay and benefits. Union leaders say ratification votes should be finished by tomorrow. That's a day before the government's deadline for Chrysler to form an alliance with Italian automaker, Fiat.
And back now to our top story this morning. The growing swine flu outbreak in the United States.
Our next guest has plenty of experience responding to national emergencies. He was compared to John Wayne when he landed in New Orleans to set things right after Hurricane Katrina hit there.
But Lt. Gen. Russel Honore has some issues with the government flu fighting plan.
General Honore is a CNN contributor. He joins us now from the CNN center in Atlanta.
General, President Bush was very interested in pandemic flu. He came up with a pandemic flu response plan back in 2005. President Obama also very interested in making sure that the United States is prepared for this. But with that -- even with that consistent focus, do you believe that this country is prepared to meet a pandemic head on?
LT. GEN. RUSSEL HONORE, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: I think we are better prepared than we were five or six years ago, John. That being said, we have a great plan. It's called our National Influenza Plan. It's written, approved by President Bush. And a lot of training had gone on with the interagency to be prepared. Where we are lacking is our ability if we were faced with the situation like Mexico has with enough beds and hospitals, enough of the vaccine available and on hand. You know, these influenzas, they go and come. As Dr. Gupta said we lose 36,000 people annually to flu. The exception here is, and the caution is, this thing is coming at the end of flu season. So as we prepared a nation, we need to look at our internal preparedness at home and at the local area to be able to actually tell right now how many people could we actually put on ventilators in New York, Chicago, Texas, New Orleans. And now is the time to assess. So this is a wakeup call to America.
ROBERTS: You draw an interesting comparison General Honore between how things were in emergency rooms in hospitals say 10, 15 years ago, to where they are now.
You said that if the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Park -- Centennial Park bombing happened today, the hospitals there in Atlanta would not be able to accommodate all of the people that they treated back in 1996.
HONORE: Yes, we're down to one -- level one trauma hospitals, and states across America are struggling to maintain the trauma capability in the state. It's been a big issue here in Georgia and through -- across the country.
So if you look at our ability to deal with trauma, and you relate that to -- if we had to take 1500 patients in Atlanta to date, we'd be struggling to be able to take care of them, particularly if they needed ventilators.
So the first quarter of the plan -- we've got a good plan. Now it's up to the Congress to resource that plan so the public health workers have the capability and local to be able to deal with the level six or late level six-type pandemic where people are dying. That's where we are falling short is our resources.
ROBERTS: What about this issue, General Honore, of isolation and quarantine?
There are many people who are infected in New York City at that one preparatory school. Should they be isolated, the ones who have developed the flu? Should the others be quarantined? And what about -- cross, you know, intrastate travel here in New York City. People come from three different states to work, you know.
How do you work the borders between the states in terms of transit or cross it if you're looking at quarantine or isolation?
HONORE: John, travel does -- is related to spread of these diseases. It's interesting to note that -- before we get to that exact question you ask that we have not restricted -- we have suggested people not travel to Mexico.
I think we're shooting behind the target here. We should have, over the weekend, restricted travel to Mexico. This should not be an individual option. It is evident that this influenza started in Mexico. The more people we allow to go there, the more this thing will spread around the world. So that being said, when you get to quarantine, we are still dancing with the 800-pound gorilla in the room here between state and federal authorities to quarantine.
Now, most of that authorities inside the state. But that sends a long, a hard message to the local public and to the world when a mayor decides to use the word quarantine, because it sends signals of the actual danger of the flu.
So you won't hear that word quarantine used very often, and we are very clumsy between the federal government and the state when we do use it. Remember, the guy who flew some 12, 18 months ago...
ROBERTS: Right.
HONORE: ... out of Atlanta with TB and went almost around the world and back, and we were still trying to figure out what happened because nobody made the call to isolate that person.
ROBERTS: Lt. Gen. Russell Honore, it's always good to hear from you, sir. Thanks very much for joining us this morning.
HONORE: Good day.
ROBERTS: All right.
CHETRY: So, just how concerned should we be about swine flu here in the U.S.? We have a lot of our viewers calling and e-mailing us with questions. And coming up, we're answering them with Dr. Sanjay Gupta who's live in Mexico City.
It's 36 minutes past the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning.
There are new cases of swine flu being confirmed this morning. This time in Israel. Also in the United States, three more states possibly touched by the virus. New Jersey, North Carolina and South Carolina, all looking into likely cases there. That's in addition to the now 50 confirmed cases in five other states.
And right now, lawmakers are scrambling to try to get out in front of this. In just a few hours, the Senate subcommittee will be holding an emergency hearing.
ROBERTS: This morning, there are a lot of unknowns about the swine flu. And you've been sending us a lot of questions.
This morning, we're going to get some answers from our Dr. Sanjay Gupta who is live in Mexico City. He's with us here this morning.
Sanjay, the first question comes to us from our show hotline.
Let's listen. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CALLER: I had flu vaccine when I was in junior high. Is this the same kind of strain that was there before?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: So, Sanjay, this caller had the swine flu vaccine back in 1976 during that outbreak in New Jersey. Of course, that was known to have cause some problems.
But he's wondering is this the same strain of swine flu as we saw back in 1976?
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: No, it's not the same strain. In fact, these strains mutate on a very regular basis. Swine flu as a general category means a flu that is endemic among pigs, but this swine flu sometimes can make their way into the human population as you mentioned back in 1976.
Again, now, they're constantly mutating so a vaccine back then, for example, would not really have protection today.
ROBERTS: Got an e-mail from J.B. He e-mailed us at CNN.com/AMFix to ask, if I buy products made in Mexico, can the swine flu be transferred that way to me or my family?
For example, if I buy produce grown in Mexico, can the virus be transferred to me or my family?
We all know, Sanjay, that this could live on surfaces, this virus, but could it actually survive transport across international lines?
GUPTA: The good news is, here probably not. It can live on some inanimate surfaces, but usually just from either seconds to about 48 hours maximum. So it's probably not going to survive any transportation process that takes longer. In addition, produce oftentimes is irradiated as well, which may kill some of the viruses that's on the surface. So, probably nothing to worry about there.
ROBERTS: And one more question here from Deborah in South Carolina. She called our hotline at 877-MY-AMFIX and asked us this question, Sanjay.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CALLER: I work in the medical profession. I'm trying to find out how do you actually go about testing for the swine flu like in a doctor's office. If you have symptoms, what tests do you do?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: All right. So walk us through it, Doc. When you go to the doctor's office, you're sick, you don't know if you got the swine flu or not. What happens? GUPTA: Well, first of all, the doctor has to have a high degree of suspicion that, in fact, you have something going on here. A lot of patients may be going to the doctor's office as a result of hearing about this. They may be told, look, this isn't the swine flu, it's not even the flu, so don't worry about it.
If there is a degree of suspicion, there's some preliminary testing done at first to find out if this is a particular type of influenza. If that is true as well, then they do sub-typing to figure out if this is swine flu in particular.
So, it can be a couple of different phases. We saw that play out in New York, John, as you know. At first, they got back some testing that said suspicious, probable. Then they got the confirmatory testing as they did that sub-typing a few days later, John.
ROBERTS: All right. Sanjay Gupta for us this morning in Mexico City answering your questions.
Doc, thanks very much. We'll check back with you in just a little while.
GUPTA: Thank you.
ROBERTS: Kiran?
CHETRY: Well, the EU is warning against nonessential travel to the United States. But health officials here at home are disagreeing with that decision. Now, they're warning against travel to Mexico, though. We're going to find out what you need to know before you travel.
It's 42 minutes after the hour.
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CHETRY: Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning.
New suspected cases of swine flu are now being reported this morning in New Jersey, South Carolina, as well as North Carolina. That's a total of 50 cases now in eight U.S. states.
So what are health officials doing at the federal level to stop the spread of swine flu? Well, Dr. Richard Besser is the acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and he joins us from the CDC in Atlanta this morning.
Thanks for being with us, doctor.
DR. RICHARD BESSER, ACTING DIRECTOR, CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL: Thank you very much.
CHETRY: So, we're talking of these new probable cases being reported in New Jersey as well as North and South Carolina, and that's in addition to the 50 confirmed cases. So where does the CDC total stand this morning? BESSER: Well, you know, I think it's important that people realize, as we look, we're going to continue to find cases. And focusing on the numbers is less important than what they tell us. And our numbers we're still reporting 40 cases in five states. We'll be updating those numbers later this morning. And we'll be doing so once a day.
What we are finding is, as public health officials are looking in states, they're finding cases of flu and they're testing those cases of flu to see if they could be swine flu.
CHETRY: All right. And it's important to point out that, as of this point, there have been no deaths. You, though, said that you'd be surprised if we didn't see more severe cases in the U.S., maybe some deaths. When do you expect that we have a true handle on the scope of this problem?
BESSER: Well, I mean, that's a great question. What we're seeing in the United States so far is 40 cases, one of whom was hospitalized. They've all recovered and we're very thankful for that.
What we're hearing about and seeing in Mexico is a much more severe outbreak of flu with many deaths. The viruses appear to be the same. And because of that, I expect that as we continue to look for cases of flu, we'll find more severe disease and, unfortunately, given what we know even from seasonal flu, some people die from the flu.
CHETRY: Right. And we talked about these 36,000 deaths from -- that's just influenza during flu season here, here in the U.S. How do we prevent, though, against what you said the possibility that it could become more severe? We could see more severe reactions and symptoms here in America?
BESSER: Well, we're concerned and we know people are concerned. And what I'd like is for people to take this concern and turn it into responsibility. There are actions people can take and there's planning people can take.
In terms of actions, at the -- at the personal level, doing those things that are going to reduce the likelihood you get sick. So, frequent hand washing or use of alcohol hand gels, covering your cough not with your hand but with your sleeve or your shoulder, and not going out if you're sick. If you have a fever or you're sick...
CHETRY: Right.
BESSER: ...or children are sick, stay home.
CHETRY: Good advice.
BESSER: Those things can help.
CHETRY: Right now, the EU is warning against all nonessential travel to America. Yesterday, you said you didn't think that was warranted. Do you still feel the same way today considering we've now seen the number of cases here in the U.S. double since yesterday morning?
BESSER: No, I do not think that that recommendation is warranted at this point. And it's important that we continue to monitor the situation. At this point, we are seeing cases in the United States, but the severity is not at the level that we're seeing in Mexico. And, so, I think it's a premature recommendation.
It is time, however, for people to be thinking about what would I do, what should my community do if we saw cases...
CHETRY: Right.
BESSER: ... and that kind of planning. Thinking about what would you do if your child's school was not going to be open tomorrow, or if your work asked you to work from home. Businesses should be thinking about, what should we be doing if we did not want to pool all of our employees together? Is there a way that we could work more remotely?
CHETRY: Right.
BESSER: That kind of planning that's been going on for years. It's time people dust those plans off and look and see what they -- what they would be doing.
CHETRY: All right. And I want to ask you about this -- the U.S. health officials that are advising against nonessential travel to Mexico. Should we be concerned? What's the difference between what we're advising people regarding Mexico and what the EU is advising versus America?
BESSER: Right. We initially had an outbreak notice up so that people were aware of the outbreak. And it's important that people around the world are aware of the outbreak in the United States.
This increased warning, this warning against nonessential travel, is a recognition of the severity of the -- of the outbreak in Mexico and the fact that we don't know as much about that as we would like to know. As situations change, we'll continue to evaluate that warning against nonessential travel to Mexico.
CHETRY: If you had a vacation plan, you and your family, would you go to Mexico right now? Would you advise people to maybe rethink those plans?
BESSER: No. Based on what I know as a public health professional and as a physician, I would not recommend that people go on nonessential travel. So if I had vacation plans for Mexico coming up right now, I'd look to postpone those.
CHETRY: All right. Good to talk to you this morning, Dr. Richard Besser, acting director for the CDC. Thanks.
BESSER: Thank you.
ROBERTS: Mexico is considered ground zero. In the fight against the swine flu, an entire city of 20 million may shut down south of the border because of it. But the locals are saying, don't blame us. Why they think they're being kicked around -- again.
Plus, just hours until that critical 100-day benchmark for President Obama. We're looking at what's gone wrong and what's gone right so far for the president.
It's 10 minutes now to the top of the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning.
It's coming up now in seven minutes to the top of the hour. Let's fast forward through the stories that will be making news later on today.
Bank of America will be the target of protests at hundreds of branches across the country. The demonstrations coincide with the bank's annual shareholders meeting. Taxpayers are now the largest holders of Bank of America stock.
At 1:00 p.m. Eastern, the Senate subcommittee holds an emergency hearing on the public health response to the swine flu outbreak. Officials from the Centers for Disease Control and The National Institute for Allergies and Infectious Diseases are expected to testify.
And this morning, it's in the midst of the swine flu outbreak. Congress moving quickly to fill a vacant slot at the Department for Health and Human Services. Today, the Senate is set to approve Kathleen Sebelius as the agency's leader. Her confirmation has been held up in Congress.
And Jay Leno back at work. "The Tonight Show" host returned last night after his first missed days of work in 17 years. Leno was hospitalized for an unspecified illness. And back on the air, he didn't appear to miss a beat.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAY LENO, HOST, "THE TONIGHT SHOW WITH JAY LENO": Can I tell you something, did you ever sleep on a hospital?
Yes, I spent the night. It's 24 hours. And I had a horrible dream. I couldn't breathe. I felt like I was suffocating, then I woke up and realized, oh, Conan was holding a pillow over my face.
Hey, hey, what is that? Hey!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: Leno said his HMO was so bad he was sent to the Burbank Airport baggage area for X-rays.
It's the silliest thing I've ever heard. CHETRY: Conan was pretty funny, though.
Well, an economy in crisis, strained relations overseas, and what about the first dog, Bo? There's a laundry list of problems facing the country. And we're breaking down President Obama's first 100 days.
Also some new information on the swine flu outbreak spreading overnight across the U.S. and around the world. President Obama is now promising updates on the efforts to keep you and your family healthy.
It's 54 minutes after the hour.
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CHETRY: Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning. Since FDR's New Deal, we picked over every action of every president during the first 100 days.
And for President Obama, today's day 99.
Our Suzanne Malveaux is here with us in New York looking at what he's accomplished so far, and all the challenges that still lie ahead.
CHETRY: Hi, Suzanne.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: OK, it's day 99.
CHETRY: That's right.
MALVEAUX: Can I admit it? It feels like it's been a year.
CHETRY: Sure.
MALVEAUX: It has been amazing here. I mean, on the very first day, staff didn't even know how to use the White House computers or answer the phones. President Obama was signing his first executive order to reverse Bush policy. Now covering Obama for a year on the campaign, it has become clear that he sees his pledge for change now as a mandate for governing during his first 100 days.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MALVEAUX (voice-over): The people voted for change -- and change is what they're getting.
OBAMA: You sent us there to change things.
MALVEAUX: It's the driving force behind President Barack Obama's first 100 days.
DAVID GERGEN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: The heart and soul of Barack Obama's campaign for the presidency was that he was the candidate of change. MALVEAUX: Early, swift, and bold, the first actions were aimed at undoing eight years of Bush. With a stroke of a pen, he committed to closing Guantanamo Bay, expanding stem cell research, opening government documents, supporting women's equal pay and funding controversial family planning programs.
But as Mr. Obama then tried to assemble his cabinet, crisis quickly followed. Six of his picks for the top posts ran into trouble, four for failing to pay taxes.
OBAMA: You know, I think this was a mistake. I think I screwed up.
MALVEAUX: Facing a market meltdown, housing prices and a startling jump in unemployment. Mr. Obama turned to Congress for billions to bailout the banks, and even more to jump start the economy.
But he failed to get Republican support for his mammoth economic stimulus plan.
OBAMA: Change doesn't happen overnight.
MALVEAUX: The insurance giant, AIG, presented his next big challenge. The company they've got billions of taxpayer dollars to stay afloat ended up giving out large bonuses to its top execs, enraging the general public. But as it turns out, it was the White House that gave AIG the OK.
The president explained he was in a legal pickle, and the press moved on. But the question that continued to hound him was, where's the White House dog?
OBAMA: That's a good-looking pup dog, though. Let's face it.
MALVEAUX: Bo, as well as the Easter bunny at the egg roll...
(VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: ... gave the president a rare moment to let loose.
OBAMA: Thank you so much for having us.
MALVEAUX: Change would also come overseas.
Mr. Obama's trips to the Middle East, Europe, and Latin America were aimed at repairing damaged relations. He even shook the hand of Mr. Bush's arch enemy -- Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. And signaled he wanted talks with Cuba and Iran.
In Baghdad, the president promised that the war that tore U.S. alliances apart would end.
So how does this president's first 100 days compare to his predecessors? ALLAN LICHTMAN, PRESIDENTIAL HISTORIAN, AMERICAN UNIVERSITY: He's achieved more in a briefer period of time than any newly-elected president since Franklin Roosevelt.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MALVEAUX: Covering Obama over the first 100 days, we have traveled three continents. Tomorrow will be his second prime-time press conference, following a town hall meeting where the president will take questions about his own performance and his agenda.
And this is a White House that is very media savvy. How it presents itself. We also see that he's got many challenges the next 100 days. Obviously, this potential flu crisis is on the top of his agenda.
CHETRY: His getting daily briefings on that now, correct?
MALVEAUX: Right.
CHETRY: All right. Susan Malveaux, we'll see you in the next hour as well. Thanks so much.
MALVEAUX: OK. Thank you.
