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First Diagnosed Ebola Patient On American Soil Takes Turn For The Worst; Fighting Continues Around Kobani; New Jersey Confirms First Death From Enterovirus D68; Authorities In Malaysia 370 Search Plan To Map Ocean Floor In Remote Section Of Indian Ocean; Doctor Walks Through World's Busiest Airport To Make Point About Ebola

Aired October 05, 2014 - 17:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: And it's so fun as the premiere of "SOMEBODY'S GOTTA DO IT" on Wednesday night at 9:00 Eastern right here on CNN.

That's going to do it for me. Thanks for hanging out with me all day. I'm Fredricka Whitefield.

The next hour of the CNN NEWSROOM begins now with Poppy Harlow in New York.

POPPY HARLOW, CNN ANCHOR: Good evening, everyone. Thanks for joining me. I'm Poppy Harlow. And you are in the CNN NEWSROOM.

We are covering a lot of stories this hour. Let's begin with this. The head of the CDC is sounding a note of optimism about the U.S. government's ability to stop Ebola, in his words, in its trap. Dr. Tom Frieden says that while the CDC remains concern about those who came in direct contact with the Ebola patient in Dallas, he says that the ten or so people in this higher risk group are being monitored constantly.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TOM FRIEDEN, CDC DIRECTOR: We have no doubt we will stop it in its tracks in Texas. It's worth stepping back and saying how Ebola spreads. Ebola only spreads by direct contact with someone who's sick or with their body fluids. So the core of control is identifying everyone who might have had contact with them and making sure they are monitored 21-days if they develop symptoms immediately isolating them to break the chain of transmission.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARLOW: Meantime, the Liberian national who arrived in Dallas on September 20th and later developed Ebola is fighting for his life. Thomas Eric Duncan's condition has been downgraded to critical. And an American patient treated for Ebola in Nebraska and then later released has been admitted to a Massachusetts hospital. Dr. Richard Sacra is believe to be suffering from a respiratory infection. But he, of course, is being kept in an isolation unit as a precaution.

Let's take you live to Dallas, check in with our CNN senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen.

I know, Elizabeth, we have some news just in to CNN. Earlier today, they were looking for some of those people in Dallas. They have been watching for any signs of Ebola and they couldn't find them. But now, they have located them?

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Now, they have located them, Poppy. So these were two contacts. They have their phone addresses, they have their phone numbers but they were not at home when authorities visited them. They weren't answering their phones. But now, I have just heard from a federal officials that these contacts have been found.

So that means that all 48 contacts have been found. And the idea is to follow them for 21 days, take their temperatures twice a day. And also just ask them about symptoms and how are they doing. Although, these contacts, they are not reporting in their temperatures. They are actually giving visits from healthcare workers to make sure that it is done properly.

HARLOW: But it is great that they have been found. It brings up sort of the bigger issue of how do you close enough monitor these people even when they're low risk and whether, frankly, authorities have any say. I mean, they can't really take them into custody, can they? I mean, how do you keep an eye on these people so you don't lose them for a matter of hours when you need to test them?

COHEN: You know, Poppy, it is an interesting question. And actually, there are four family members who have been quarantined because authorities said they were having some challenges keeping track of them. So these contacts, I imagine, are being told in some pretty strict turns, we're going to visit you at this time and this time and you better be there because if you are not, then you can have the same situation that has happen to this family. And obviously, no one wants that because that would certainly be encouragement to show up when you're supposed to.

HARLOW: Also, this just developing in the last few hours. We heard from the CDC and the Obama administration telling here at CNN, they, right now, the Obama administration is considering further screening at some major U.S. airports to try to help prevent the spread of Ebola. Do we know if it is going to happen? And what would that springing (ph) look like?

COHEN: You know, it is interesting, Poppy. I have been, you know, talking about this, on and on for about the past week or so. Because I came back from Liberia just a week after Duncan did. And I will tell you that in Liberia, when I left, they were really vigilant. They took my temperature three times. They asked all sorts of questions. When I arrived in the U.S., I expected something sort of like that. But instead, there was basically nothing. No one takes your temperature. No one asked if you have been close to people with Ebola. And I left a note that I was a journalist coming from L:Iberia who had been covering Ebola. And my two colleagues have the same experience. So I'm glad to see that they are thinking about taking more serious

steps that might include taking temperatures of people who are returning from Ebola effected countries. And I expect to hear in the next few days what they're going to do and when they are going to do it.

HARLOW: Yes. We will be watching very closely. Elizabeth, you have been on this story for months. Thank you for your great reporting. We appreciate it.

Also some news today on the extremist group ISIS and their aim to take over the entire Muslim world that they could. U.S.-led airstrikes have all but stop the militants in Iraq, but in Syria that is definitely another story.

Take a look at this map. The Syrian city of Kobani sits right on the border with Turkey. Today our sources who are there say ISIS fighters have now entered the city. This is a very key strategic city. They are fighting with Kurds forces in the streets of Kobani as we speak, we are told. We are also told that the city of Kobani is surrounded by ISIS on the Syrian side.

Lieutenant Rick Fancona is here. He is our military analyst. You have been following this very closely. We all have this just broke at the last hour that Kobani had been partially infiltrated now by ISIS. This battle to keep them away from Kobani has been going on for weeks, what is this mean?

LT. COL. RICK FRANCONA, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: I don't think they are going to be able to save Kobani. It is surrounded the Kurds that are trying to defend it or vastly outnumbered, outgunned. Most of the civilians that have lived there have left. So you have got a small skeleton force trying to slow down the advance, but I think it's just a matter of time before ISIS takes it over.

What I would hope is that the Kurds that are defending are able to get out themselves because they don't want to fall into the hands of ISIS. So that puts Kobani in ISIS hands. And that pretty much secures a lot of that border for ISIS. And what I think we will see next is that moving further toward the west as they moved toward Aleppo trying to expand their zone of control in Syria.

HARLOW: And we know, and you have said before, you don't think that they're not going actually cross over into Turkey because of how strong Turkey's military is. At the same time, Turkey is such an important partner and ally for the Unites States.

And the vice president did not make the president, President Erdogan, of Turkey very happy this week.

FRANCONA: No. He said some statements and he has had to walk back. And I don't think we want to get into a political battle with the Turks right now. We are relying of the Turks to provide some very unique capabilities. If you look at the geography, Turkey is their basis on minutes from the combat zone. Whereas right now, we are having to fly sometimes an hour, even two hours from take off to actually target. Now, if we can use Turkey's air bases, we can be there in minute to respond much quicker to situations just like we are seeing in Kobani.

HARLOW: Well, it is interesting, vice president Joe Biden apologized in to the Turkish president, also calling the head of the UAE today about basically saying comments made earlier this week at Harvard University about whether or not those Arab nations and allies of ours were inadvertently helping ISIS by allowing us across through their borders to help ISIS -- that that was not what he intended to say/

FRANCONA: Yes. And the UAE has been a strong ally of our for decades. And they are letting use their air bases, they always have. They are participating. So I think that we need to be careful what we say. I think we need to draw distinction between the governments of these countries and citizens of these countries.

Now, there is money that go into charities that fund many of these Islamic groups. But those are private individuals. It is not the government.

HARLOW: At the same time, a few weeks ago, you and I were talking about when is Turkey going to take action. Do you think at this point in time, given where ISIS is and Kobani now on that Turkish border, the threat that it poses to Turkey the region, is Turkey doing enough yet?

FRANCONA: Well, we always like to see the Turks actually intervene. I think the Turks are figuring out what they are going to do, at what level they are going to intervene. It would be nice to see Turks airstrikes as well. But the -- I hope we will. The big gorilla would be if we see Turkish ground forces move into the northern Syria to set up like up for zone. The Turks are far superior to anything ISIS can put in the field.

HARLOW: And they have very, very strong forces if they use them o the ground and in the air.

FRANCONA: They are excellent troops.

HARLOW: Thank you, Colonel. We appreciate it. We will be with you a little bit later in the show.

Also, deadline day is arriving for protesters in Hong Kong. Right now it is about 5:00 a.m. Monday morning in Hong Kong and crowds of protesters remain on the streets. Hong Kong's leaders ordered protesters to clear the streets by Monday morning. As you can see they have not gone.

Authorities want to try to reopens schools, reopen the government. That is a key business district in Hong Kong. Pro-democracy demonstrators have been blocking those major highways and all the access to government offices for a week now. They want China government to allow Hong Kong voters to select fully independently their own candidate for the next election in 2017. China, though, is insisting those candidates have to be vetted by Beijing first. And while the Ebola epidemic rages in west Africa, scientists are

looking for a vaccine. It could save countless lives and while many have been asking why doesn't one exist yet. There is a question about how much they cost to develop and is big Pharma willing to do that? We'll talk about it next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARLOW: It may be the only thing standing between the world and a potentially widespread Ebola epidemic. And that is hazmat bio containment laboratories. But is enough being done? And is there a legitimate threat of an outbreak in the United States? I'm joined now by Dr. Thomas Ksiazek. He is director of high

containment laboratories operations for the Galveston national laboratories at University of Texas medical branch. He is also just returned from Sierra Leone where he was working with the CDC and trying to help all those in West Africa.

Tell me about your experience there, what you saw on the ground, Sir.

DR. THOMAS KSIAZEK, DIRECTOR, HIGH CONTAINMENT LABORATORIES OPERATIONS FOR THE GALVESTON NATIONAL LABORATORIES, UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS MEDICAL BRANCH: Well, CDC primarily was invited by the country of Sierra Leone to help with a number of control efforts. Mostly trying to track what was happening with the epidemic. And then he used that information to improve control efforts.

HARLOW: The up to 4,000 U.S. troops that are going to be on the ground helping, what do you think they can do that will be most effective? What is needed most on the ground that you saw?

KSIAZEK: Most of the troops are being, as I understand it, deployed to Liberia where the need for treatment in some of these is acute. Essentially, the number of patients far exceeds the number of treatment beds that are available. So there is sort of an emergency and necessity to put more of them in place and then probably more importantly to staff them which, as I understand that the troops are not primarily involved.

HARLOW: And you were telling me before when we were speaking in the break, you know, you have done this before. You have gone to zones like this before where there is just so much death that it's hard to believe what the people are suffering through there. And a lot of people wondering why there is no Ebola vaccine now. Some have said it just hasn't proven worthwhile in terms of profit wise for pharmaceutical companies large and small before billions in to RND to try to get something that works because we have not had an outbreak like this before? Is that the reason or is there something else?

KSIAZEK: Well, there are efforts to put back these together, but they are not bring under taken by a large pharma. It is largely being done as a bio-defense effort here in the United States. So most of the money that is coming is coming from federal agencies like the NIH or the department of defense -- pardon me?

HARLOW: I apologize. Carry on. KSIAZEK: So the amount of money on the surface of it quite

significant, probably not as large as efforts to do this quite quickly and see it all the way through are necessary.

HARLOW: Do you see that changing? I mean, do you see big pharma changing its mind and looking at what has happened here on feeling an obligation to really put money and resources towards this? But also seen as there may be a very large need whether now or down the road?

KSIAZEK: Well, I think taken in to perspective, even now, the number of doses of vaccine that would probably be required are not the sort of requirement that would drive large pharma. Generally, you have to look at the bottom line and the long term. And I don't think that the Ebola outbreak, even though, it's very significant, and the need for a vaccine appears to be quite acute. It is tied both markets that would drive the concerns that defend of profit really look at it as profitable enterprise.

HARLOW: Does that bother you at all looking at it as largely driven by profit? I mean, these are businesses and they are responsible to their shareholders. But when you think about these lives, I mean, is there somewhere in the middle? Is there a solution?

KSIAZEK: Even from a public health perspective, this is always simply because it was the right thing to do. It was really undertaken because of the public health benefits out ways the development cost. And in a long run, the production and provision of it large enough to support the business model.

HARLOW: Yes.

Dr. Ksiazak, I really appreciate your expertise. Thank you for coming on this Sunday. Thank you, sir.

Well, another medical condition has so far proven more deadly in the United States than Ebola. The big reason for worry, it is a common virus that affects millions in this country every single year. We know now at least one child has already died from it, possibly more. Rosa Flores joins us next with that story.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARLOW: Ebola is not the only virus causing concern. New Jersey is confirming its first death from enterovirus D68. A 4-year-old boy who went to bed with symptoms died the next morning. At least four of the patients who recently died tested positive for the virus. It is still not clear, though, if that is what caused their death.

Our Rosa Flores joins me now.

You have been covering this. And maybe this is not getting as much attention as it should, frankly, because we have been talking about Ebola. So tell us about this story.

ROSA FLORES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And I think there is also been a lot of confusion. So this virus is extremely common. The CDC will tell you this is between 10 to 15 million people infected in the United States every single year. So what makes this year different?

Well, Poppy, more children have been hospitalized. That's why the word is spreading. So is the fear. And especially in communities like Cumberland, Rhode Island, where the virus was found present in the body of a little girl who died.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FLORES (voice-over): It looks like a regular day at community school in Cumberland, Rhode Island. But in the hearts and minds of parents and students, is a fifth grade girl who loved life, animals and reading.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My son knew her and said she was a nice and friendly girl.

FLORES: 10-year-old Emily Otrando's life was unexpectedly cut short last week. Her parents took her to the hospital for shortness of breath and her health down spiraled so quickly that she died within 24 hours. That's according to the Rhode Island's department of health. Her sudden death has her worried about the safety of children.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm just hoping that the school is clean and our kids are safe.

FLORES: State health officials say Emily died from what they called is a perfect storm. A staph infection coupled with enterovirus D68, a very common virus which according to the CDC infects 10 to 15 million people every year in the U.S. And usually, only causes cold-like symptoms. The CDC is now linking the strain to three other death around the country but emphasizes it is unclear whether enterovirus D68 alone has killed anyone.

So we don't know what role it played?

DR. MICHAEL FINE, DIRECTOR, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH: We don't know what role it played. We don't know when it was there. We don't know how long it lasted.

FLORES: What medical experts do know is that enterovirus D68 can exacerbate the symptoms of certain respiratory illnesses like asthma.

FINE: You get some information of the walls of those (INAUDIBLE). It just makes it harder for air to get to the long -- that's the real problem.

FLORES: Fear of this virus is spreading quickly. The CDC reports more than 500 confirmed cases in 43 states and the district of Columbia. And more hospitalizations of children than normal.

School districts from around the country are taking extra precautions to make sure that students are safe. The Cumberland school is cleaning every milk and cranny (ph) and also thinking about a little girl who is greatly missed.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The questions are why, why did it happen to her? She was so sweet.

FLORES: The unsettling reality for her family and friends, according to the department of health, they will never really know exactly how their sweet girl died.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARLOW: Just to look at that girl's face. It is so hard to believe and there are so few answers. Significant development in the past few days. The New Jersey child who goes to bed with symptoms and the next morning they are dead. So this is the first confirmed case that we know that enterovirus D68 cause of death.

FLORES: And that is why it is so important, Poppy, because up to now, all of the information that we have been receiving from the CDC would that these four people, their samples were taken to the CDC, they were tested and the virus was present. However, scientists didn't know how this virus was related, how it had impacted the bodies of these four people.

But in the case of this child out of New Jersey, the medical examiner literally on the death certificate, the cause of death is enterovirus D68. That's why it's so important.

HARLOW: In terms of, you know, preventing again, that you hear all the typical things. Wash your hands, you know, to pay very close attention. Try not to catch it. But what really can parents do? I mean I know kids with asthma are more susceptible to it but what can be done?

FLORES: The director of the Rhode Island department of health, he said look, you don't need to disinfect school, you don't need to quarantine people because its virus is so common. It is out there. It is going to be out there.

The best tool for you, for parents is to tell their kids to wash hands and to wash their hands adequately. So enough under the water and sometimes you sing happy birthday twice and that sorts of thing can make an interesting for kinds to do that to make sure that they do that.

What's important about children with asthma or other respiratory illnesses is that what these experts are saying is that this virus causes inflammation of the tubes where these children are breathing. And so, it closes those tubes. It makes it very difficult for these children to breathe. And so what do they say? Parents with children with asthma are already very cautious. They pay close attention to their children. If they see anything differently, take these children to the hospital immediately.

HARLOW: Better to be safe.

FLORES: Yes.

HARLOW: Thank you, Rosa. Important report. And I think maybe we're not talking about it enough tonight. Thank you for that story. We appreciate it.

You know, teams are restarting their search soon for Malaysia airline flight 370. Could they finally find an answer to the mystery of what happened to that airplane? Or should we all just prepare for more frustration and disappointment? We're going to talk about that a bit later in the show.

But first, get ready for an all new Anthony Bourdain's "PARTS UNKNOWN," the Bronx, right here in New York City, the birthplace of hip-hop. Grab a train, jump on the subway, Anthony discovers the food and beats that make the Bronx unique.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANTHONY BOURDAIN, CNN HOST, PARTS UNKNOWN: This is the Bronx. You have probably heard about it. You may even have a pretty solid image in your head of what it looks like, what it is like? Or maybe you can't picture it at all. Certainly the south Bronx sounds familiar. That's a dangerous place.

For the most part of Bronx's overlooked, the never visited rural (ph) in New York City. It is a shame because the Bronx is a magical place with its own energy, it's own food, life and (INAUDIBLE).

You have been Brooklyn, maybe it is time you took a look at the Bronx. Can't lay off of this. It's insane.

The Bronx, still here.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARLOW: For so many excruciating weeks, crews searching for Malaysian airlines flight 370 chased fruitlessly. Finally, they device a new map, a new plan to map the ocean floor in a remote part of the south Indian Ocean. That mapping is complete now seven months after that flight disappeared and the search is on again. Our Tom Foreman has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): All through the thundering waves of winter, the ships have pressed on across the Indian Ocean, pulsing out sonar signals and this is what they have to show for it. The most detailed map ever of the seabed in this area, 16,000 square miles covered with crumbling underwater volcanoes, winding valleys, plunging canyons and just maybe the solution to a mystery. The new map is not fine enough to show wreckage but it is a wealth of information to guide underwater search vessels.

DAVID SOUCIE, CNN SAFETY ANALYST: Tom, there makes a great deal of difference because they will be able to hold a tighter path right above the ocean floor knowing what is coming ahead of time so that they can go a little faster and get a lot more done in less time. FOREMAN: Before the search broke off earlier this year, much hope was

pinned on the blue fin underwater search robot. It came up empty. But now, with the new map, a much broader search would killed sonar or raze is beginning.

Australian authorities remain convinced this ark is the right place to look saying recent refinement to the analysis of satellite data about the plane' s flight path has given greater certainty about when the aircraft turned south into the Indian Ocean. And that gives them a better sense of where it ran out of fuel. Most likely south of these submerged mountains called broken ridge. But --

SOUCIE: You have to be very cautious about over predicting or over- confidence in those predictions that you make or you will end up exactly where you though you would but it may not be the right place.

FOREMAN: Don't look for people scanning the surface for debris. Those days are over. Now it is all about looking in some places nearly four miles beneath the waves and once again hoping for a break.

The search is scheduled to last for about a year. If they find the plane during that time of course it will be a huge step, but a big mystery still remains whatever caused this plane to go down.

Tom Foreman, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARLOW: Tom, thank you for that report.

And you know, as searchers focus on where Malaysia flight 370 may have possibly gone down and how to find it, questions still linger. How did this flight disappear? Was it an accident or was it something criminal?

Our Martin Savidge goes back to the beginning retracing the key moments of flight 370 and asking the experts all of the questions we still have.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Could the disappearance of MH-370 been deliberate? To answer that question, investigators zero in on the last two men known to be in control of the plane. Seen here passing through security on the night of the flight. First officer was Fariq Hamid (ph) was only 27 years old.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Very young to be flying a 777 in the U.S., but had gone through all the gates and had passed and was with a very senior guy. That's a perfectly safe scenario.

SAVIDGE: There were these 2011 photos taken of Fariq in the cockpit with two passengers that initially raised eyebrows.

SOUCIE: That was very concerning to me that he would have invited someone into the cockpit. Once you are in the air, that it. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't think we indict the first officer with

that, but I do think that something to note and to remember as we think about what might have happened.

SAVIDGE: Fariq had no known motive and no apparent reason to take down the plane.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There was just no indication that there was anything going on in his life other than he had made it.

SAVIDGE: Fariq had made it and was on an impressive career trajectory.

RICHARD QUEST, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT: The 5,000 hours on a 737, you go from a small plane to big plane and this was his promotion.

SAVIDGE: CNN aviation correspondent Richard Quest gained permission to fly on Malaysia airlines in February. In an eerie coincidence, it was one of Fariq's last training flights on the Boeing 777.

QUEST: There is absolutely no question that he was a qualified, competent pilot. The captain said he was one of the best they had. He landed the aircraft perfectly.

SAVIDGE: One of Fariq's next flights would be his last, Malaysia 370.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARLOW: Well, for more on the plane's disappearance, be sure to watch "Vanished: the Mystery of Malaysia Airlines flight 370," that is only here on CNN 9:00 p.m. eastern Tuesday.

Also this, Paul Revere, leader of the 1960s rock band Paul Revere and the Raiders, has died at his home in Idaho. The band recorded a string of hits in the 1960s and early 1970s including Kick, Hungary and Indian reservation. Revere, the band's organist was known for his wild stage personality and came to be known as the mad man of rock 'n' roll. The band had actually a tour scheduled to start next month. Paul Revere was 76.

Coming up next on the program, can an Ebola patient be forced into quarantine even if they don't want to go, or even someone who is just suspected of possibly having Ebola? The outbreak has led to a lot of questions, a lot of legal questions. We're going to address those right after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARLOW: The rise of Ebola and efforts to contain it raised all sorts of legal questions. Let's get insights, some answers from our CNN commentator and legal analyst, Mel Robbins.

Thank you for joining us. Now, I find a lot of these questions fascinating that people are asking. One topic that's getting a lot of talk, should the United States block travelers from countries with Ebola from coming to the United States? Look, the CDC has said this isn't going to work. It could actually make things worse. But legally, are there any grounds for that?

MEL ROBBINS, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Absolutely. In fact, there are many other countries that have already blocked all travelers coming in from Liberia. What needs to happen, though, before the federal government would ever do anything like that, is this has got to become a much more widespread problem within the United States, and that, of course, is really unlikely, Poppy.

HARLOW: Yes, I mean, you have one patient with Ebola in Texas. That is it in the United States right now.

Some other questions we've gotten, can health officials force you to be quarantined? And if you're unwilling to, can they arrest you? Or, you know, for a period of time? Because just today for a few hours, some of those people that they're monitoring for possible Ebola in Texas, they couldn't find them.

ROBBINS: Yes, that's scary. So what you're talking about, Poppy, is that there are two types of isolation and quarantine. One is voluntary and the other is involuntary. And the vast majority of people that have symptoms voluntarily go into isolation, voluntarily will get treatment. But in the case where you have somebody that's been exposed, and they don't want treatment, or they don't want to stay quarantined, there is absolutely state law that says that the government of Texas, in this particular case, has the right to not only force you into quarantine for a period of, in this case, 21 days because that's what is pertinent for the Ebola virus symptoms to show up, but they can also arrest you. Now, they might not want to because they don't want to be exposed to you. But it is a class -- it's a third-class felony in the state of Texas not to comply with an order for quarantine.

HARLOW: Wow.

ROBBINS: So what you see happening now in Dallas is the police, Poppy, are you stationed outside of the apartment building so that these folks don't leave during the period. But if they do keep leaving, or trying to leave, you could see them bring charges. They might not actually move forward with anything until after all of the danger is passed, but they are breaking Texas law if they don't abide by this quarantine.

HARLOW: And quickly before we go, Mel, one other question we got, can you sue an airline if you were to contract Ebola on an airplane?

ROBBINS: Well, the short answer, Poppy, is yes. You can kind of sue anybody for anything. The question, though, I think is, could you be successful? And if an airline knows that a passenger has originated from Liberia, and they're sweating profusely and vomiting before they let them on, I think the airline would be negligent. So if you can prove that the airline was negligent in letting a passenger on a plane when they knew or should have known that this person had active symptoms and was contagious, absolutely you'd have a case.

HARLOW: Well, we just heard in the last few hours that the Obama administration, CDC, may come out with further more advanced screening at some major U.S. airports. So obviously they're taking this increasingly seriously by the day. But, again, only one case here in the United States and that is a good thing.

We appreciate it. Thanks, Mel.

All right. What would you do if you walked into an airport and saw this? See that guy? That's a doctor wearing a hazmat suit. This week, in Atlanta, trying to point to the CDC and their response to Ebola. He thinks they are not doing enough. I'll speak with him live after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARLOW: A doctor in a hazmat suit strolled through the world's busiest airport to make a point about Ebola. Dr. Gil Mobley cleared Atlanta's airport security Thursday while wearing protective goggles, and a mask, a full suit. The jumpsuit, you can see, it was pretty hard to miss. He had the words written on the back, CDC is lying.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. GILBERT MOBLEY, MICROBIOLOGIST AND EMERGENCY TRAUMA PHYSICIAN: Yesterday I came through international customs in the Atlanta airport. The only question they asked arriving passengers is if they had tobacco or alcohol. That's dereliction of duty. The CDC is asleep at the wheel.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARLOW: It is important to know Dr. Mobley is not an Ebola specialist. He's an emergency trauma physician from Springfield, Missouri. He joins me now from there.

Thank you for being with us, sir, we appreciate it.

MOBLEY: Thank you for allowing me to get the message out, Poppy.

HARLOW: What did you want to hear from customs and airport security when you returned from Guatemala into the United States?

MOBLEY: It would have been nice to have been asked had I been exposed to anyone sick, had I been sick, myself. Had I had a fever. You know, and where I've been. All they asked, like said, do I have tobacco or alcohol? And --

HARLOW: But --

MOBLEY: The same day in "USA Today" it said we're screening at airports.

HARLOW: Well, to be fair here, sir, you were coming from Guatemala, a country where they haven't had one single case.

I do want to play for you a doctor from Atlanta who criticized what you did at the airport this week. He called it theatrics. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I question his tactics. And I think he's assaulting his own credibility. We do have the duty domestically to protect the American people. And I think that some of our investment should go into the rather straightforward act of assisting with airport screening.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARLOW: So what's your reaction to that? Can you understand where he's coming from?

MOBLEY: He needs to understand that once this virus gets in every third world country. They're not going to have plane loads of people responding to Dallas county. One person overwhelmed Dallas county and the CDC is still flying people in. That's not going to happen when it goes into Guatemala city or Mexico or anywhere like that.

HARLOW: Why do you think it's --

MOBLEY: Every third world country is going to fall because their health care infrastructure is in shambled. The sanitation is deplorable. And the distrust of the government. When that happens, we will be importing Ebola cases on an hourly basis. I don't care how advanced the system is. I don't care how good the doctors is.

HARLOW: Sir, let me jump in here.

MOBLEY: We'll be overwhelmed.

HARLOW: Let me jump in here. West Africa has been dealing with this epidemic for months and months now, since March I believe. And it has not spread into other third world countries outside of west Africa. We have one case here in the United States. You're saying that it's going to go to all these places. Some people look at what you did, sir, and they say, is this kind of like yelling fire in a theater? Is it scaring people unnecessarily?

MOBLEY: People need to be scared. Connect the dots. Once this happens, we're going to importing it at a regular basis and is easy for the system to be overloaded at that point. Look what it took for just one person. And when every third world country goes down, we're going to go down, too.

By the way, we have a very large third world country to our south. And the doors are wide open. This has spells disaster. And soon we'll be worse than a third world country if me don't control this.

The CDC needs to understand that there are 10,000 people leaving west Africa a day with a million in quarantine. Duncan isn't the only person bringing this around the world. It's happening and we're not picking it up.

HARLOW: Dr. Mobley -- let me ask you this, Dr. Mobley. We reached out to the CDC today to see if they had reaction to your comments about them and the job that they're doing. They didn't have a specific response to what you said. They did, though, encourage anyone with concerns, anyone with questions to call them. You can call 1-800-CDCinfo.

But my question, have you called the CDC to talk to them, ask them for a meeting, sit down with them?

MOBLEY: I have spoken with CDC officials in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, actually, a couple of months ago. And we understand this is the worst-case scenario. As emergency trauma doctor, I expect the worst until proven otherwise. And you know what, the CDC is reactionary. What do we do with all this waste outside Emory? Let's think about it for a couple of weeks. What do we do with Mr. Duncan's mattress? Let's think about. We need to be proactive instead of reactive.

Policies, procedures and protocols need to be in place and (INAUDIBLE) has been derelict in his duty, not get airport screening until I made a big stink two days ago. Either they are lying or they are grossly incompetent and not connecting the dots. This is going to consume the third world country and overwhelm us. America, mankind is in peril. That is my message. I appreciate you helping me get it --

HARLOW: Well, thank you for joining us. Let's hope that is not the case.

Again, this has not spread besides one person that we know of in the United States and it's not another third world country outside of west Africa at this point. Let's hope that doesn't happen.

MOBLEY: Yes.

HARLOW: But we appreciate you, sir, and we appreciate you coming on the program to talk to us. Thank you.

MOBLEY: My pleasure. Thank you for helping me get the message out.

HARLOW: Is the CDC ready if more Ebola infected people do arrive in the United States? We were just talking to Dr. Mobley about that. A situation at Newark airport yesterday may have given us a bit of an idea, but you might not find it very comforting. We're going to talk about what exactly happened at Newark yesterday. That's next.

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HARLOW: All right. I want to bring in CNN national security analyst Juliette Kayyem who was listening to the guest we had on the program just before the break.

Thank you for being here, Juliette. We appreciate it.

JULIETTE KAYYEM, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: Thanks, Poppy.

HARLOW: So we just had a guest on, Dr. Mobley, who wore this hazmat suit in the Atlanta airport this week and he thinks the CDC, he said is lying, that they're not doing enough to protect us. He said every third world country is going to have an Ebola epidemic. Obviously, you know, I pushed back. It seemed like you really don't want to scare people at this point in time too much. What was your reaction to that?

KAYYEM: Well, I think it's a bit much to say that the world is going to, you know, hell in a band basket at this stage. Look, we have a problem. We have an epidemic in western African countries. But the good news is, is that in fact, in Nigeria they've been able to actually isolate the Ebola and protect them as a sort of population at that stage. We have one case in the United States. It was not ideal how Texas dealt with it firsthand, in particular the hospital by setting him back. We have learned from it. We've got to learn in realtime and this is serious, but let's put this in perspective and also not terrify everyone. There are rational things that we need to do and let's do them.

HARLOW: Let's talk about what happened at Newark yesterday. While we were on the air, there was a plane that was quarantined. A man was vomiting. He did originate, you know, in Liberia, traveled through Brussels like Duncan, the Ebola patient in the U.S. did. But then eventually the passengers were given the all clear to leave. But they were held in a few hours in the airport with their baggage, told first they could leave then couldn't leave. One passenger told us it didn't seem like the officials had a handle on it. Does that worry you?

KAYYEM: Right. It does. I mean, each -- the first instance of all of these potential scenarios are going to look complicated and probably not very professional. But I am much happier with false positives at this stage. In other words, if there is a suspicion that someone has Ebola, it might have infected people, let's go a little built heavy on the precautions and the testing at this stage. Not because it's a public health threat, but we're in the stage of sort of public hysteria as we were just talking. We need to make sure that people act rationally about risk, otherwise you're going to get a lot of what's called the worry well, showing up at hospitals, taking their kids out of school for reasons that are just not rational at this stage.

HARLOW: So we just heard this afternoon that the Obama administration, the CDC together may, may implement tougher testing at airports, big airports in the United States. Not every airport yet. Is that the right call?

KAYYEM: It absolutely is. For a week now, I didn't quite understand why we aren't doing sort of greater surveillance, interrogation, and investigations at the airport. We have to assume that countries or that individuals may lie or they may not know if they have been, you know, contaminated. So we have to assume the information we are getting from abroad is not accurate.

I think one of the reason why we are not putting on tougher airlines sort of prohibition at this stage, one is seems probably a little bit too much too soon.