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CNN Live Saturday
Interview With Dr. Carlos del Rio
Aired May 24, 2003 - 16:15 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: As Toronto grapples with a possible resurgence of SARS, China reports five new deaths in 24 hours from the disease. So how grim is the SARS threat becoming? On the phone with us now is Dr. Carlos del Rio, an infectious disease specialist at the Emory University School of Medicine here in Atlanta. And Dr. del Rio, thanks very much for joining us.
DR. CARLOS DEL RIO, EMORY UNIVERSITY: Thank you, Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: Sort of mixed messages. If the WHO is saying it's lifting its travel advisory to Toronto just 10 days ago, and now the CDC says it has put in place a travel warning. What are people to do?
DEL RIO: I think people need to realize that most cases of SARS, in the outbreak in Toronto, this new outbreak has been confined primarily to health care facilities, to hospitals. As was mentioned previously, the risk to the general public, to the general traveler, is small. I would, however, say that unnecessary travel to areas where SARS is occurring should be avoided, because even though I may go to Toronto as a tourist, I may have an accident, I may have a reason to go visit a hospital, and therefore, my advice would be to the general public, if you don't have a reason, a specific reason, a compelling reason to go to Toronto or to other areas where there is SARS currently, you should probably not go there.
WHITFIELD: Well, how concerned are you that if at least 25 people or 25 new cases have been reported now in Toronto, many of whom are health care workers, and if officials are saying that it seems as though the virus is confined to area hospitals there, those hospital care workers obviously have obviously been in contact with their family members, they've been in contact with the general public over a certain period of time, how concerned are you that the numbers may, indeed, be much higher than the 25 reported cases?
DEL RIO: I think we've learned that with SARS, that the numbers of real cases are probably a lot higher than the numbers reported. So I think that is a concern. But clearly, a lot of the transmission, not necessarily the cases, but a lot of the transmission is occurring within hospitals, and I think that's a major area of concern to those of us who work in hospitals, and to health care workers in general, SARS primarily is going to be transmitted through close contact in hospitals or in household settings. It's likely not going to be transmitted at places like airplanes or a mall, or something like that.
WHITFIELD: Well, doctor, isn't there an incubation period, isn't there some concern that perhaps the most telling of symptoms are not apparent until it just is already pretty inflamed?
DEL RIO: That is correct. However, you know, the patients will start having a cough, not feeling good, having a fever, and that's when they're going to be infectious, so people need to be screened and people in emergency rooms and other places need to be vigilant. I think that the recommendations put out by WHO and CDC about how to screen patients for potential SARS continue to apply, and we need to be vigilant with them.
WHITFIELD: Dr. Carlos del Rio, thank you very much for joining us.
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 May 24, 2003 - 16:15 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: As Toronto grapples with a possible resurgence of SARS, China reports five new deaths in 24 hours from the disease. So how grim is the SARS threat becoming? On the phone with us now is Dr. Carlos del Rio, an infectious disease specialist at the Emory University School of Medicine here in Atlanta. And Dr. del Rio, thanks very much for joining us.
DR. CARLOS DEL RIO, EMORY UNIVERSITY: Thank you, Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: Sort of mixed messages. If the WHO is saying it's lifting its travel advisory to Toronto just 10 days ago, and now the CDC says it has put in place a travel warning. What are people to do?
DEL RIO: I think people need to realize that most cases of SARS, in the outbreak in Toronto, this new outbreak has been confined primarily to health care facilities, to hospitals. As was mentioned previously, the risk to the general public, to the general traveler, is small. I would, however, say that unnecessary travel to areas where SARS is occurring should be avoided, because even though I may go to Toronto as a tourist, I may have an accident, I may have a reason to go visit a hospital, and therefore, my advice would be to the general public, if you don't have a reason, a specific reason, a compelling reason to go to Toronto or to other areas where there is SARS currently, you should probably not go there.
WHITFIELD: Well, how concerned are you that if at least 25 people or 25 new cases have been reported now in Toronto, many of whom are health care workers, and if officials are saying that it seems as though the virus is confined to area hospitals there, those hospital care workers obviously have obviously been in contact with their family members, they've been in contact with the general public over a certain period of time, how concerned are you that the numbers may, indeed, be much higher than the 25 reported cases?
DEL RIO: I think we've learned that with SARS, that the numbers of real cases are probably a lot higher than the numbers reported. So I think that is a concern. But clearly, a lot of the transmission, not necessarily the cases, but a lot of the transmission is occurring within hospitals, and I think that's a major area of concern to those of us who work in hospitals, and to health care workers in general, SARS primarily is going to be transmitted through close contact in hospitals or in household settings. It's likely not going to be transmitted at places like airplanes or a mall, or something like that.
WHITFIELD: Well, doctor, isn't there an incubation period, isn't there some concern that perhaps the most telling of symptoms are not apparent until it just is already pretty inflamed?
DEL RIO: That is correct. However, you know, the patients will start having a cough, not feeling good, having a fever, and that's when they're going to be infectious, so people need to be screened and people in emergency rooms and other places need to be vigilant. I think that the recommendations put out by WHO and CDC about how to screen patients for potential SARS continue to apply, and we need to be vigilant with them.
WHITFIELD: Dr. Carlos del Rio, thank you very much for joining us.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
