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CNN Live Saturday

Mysterious Pneumonia

Aired March 15, 2003 - 18:10   ET

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

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


RENAY SAN MIGUEL, CNN ANCHOR: Today, new warnings about a mysterious form of pneumonia that may be spreading. So far, nine people have died worldwide. CNN's Tim Rurich (ph) has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TIM RURICH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): It's so new it doesn't even have a official name the World Health Organization is calling it a worldwide threat. And unusual strain of pneumonia dubbed Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, or SARS, that's quickly spreading around the globe.

DR. JULIE GERBERDING, DIR., CENTERS FOR DISEASE: But we are keeping a open mind and until we know the cause we can't jump to any conclusions about what is really going on or what the routes of spread really conclude.

RURICH: The outbreak began in Asia and has reached North America. A Canadian mother and her son have died in Toronto and four of their relatives have been hospitalized.

Meanwhile, a doctor who treated a patient in Singapore with the illness had to be removed from a return flight from New York after he began showing symptoms of the mysterious virus. He and his two companions are now in isolation and the 155 passengers on the flight were briefly quarantined.

Symptoms include a high fever, coughing, shortness of breath, and difficulty breathing. But health officials say there is not reason to panic.

GERBERDING: This is a very small subset of people in this country right now and we do not want every person with a fever or a chest cold to be concerned about this syndrome.

RURICH: Doctors recommend those concerned they've contracted the virus treat it the same way they would have any other illness during the cold season, unless they've had direct contact with someone they know is infected with this particular deadly strain of pneumonia.

Tim Rurich (ph), CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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





Aired March 15, 2003 - 18:10   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
RENAY SAN MIGUEL, CNN ANCHOR: Today, new warnings about a mysterious form of pneumonia that may be spreading. So far, nine people have died worldwide. CNN's Tim Rurich (ph) has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TIM RURICH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): It's so new it doesn't even have a official name the World Health Organization is calling it a worldwide threat. And unusual strain of pneumonia dubbed Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, or SARS, that's quickly spreading around the globe.

DR. JULIE GERBERDING, DIR., CENTERS FOR DISEASE: But we are keeping a open mind and until we know the cause we can't jump to any conclusions about what is really going on or what the routes of spread really conclude.

RURICH: The outbreak began in Asia and has reached North America. A Canadian mother and her son have died in Toronto and four of their relatives have been hospitalized.

Meanwhile, a doctor who treated a patient in Singapore with the illness had to be removed from a return flight from New York after he began showing symptoms of the mysterious virus. He and his two companions are now in isolation and the 155 passengers on the flight were briefly quarantined.

Symptoms include a high fever, coughing, shortness of breath, and difficulty breathing. But health officials say there is not reason to panic.

GERBERDING: This is a very small subset of people in this country right now and we do not want every person with a fever or a chest cold to be concerned about this syndrome.

RURICH: Doctors recommend those concerned they've contracted the virus treat it the same way they would have any other illness during the cold season, unless they've had direct contact with someone they know is infected with this particular deadly strain of pneumonia.

Tim Rurich (ph), CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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