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Campbell Brown
Swine Flu Outbreak
Aired April 27, 2009 - 20:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ROLAND MARTIN, CNN ANCHOR: Tonight, we're following breaking news, the swine flu outbreak. There are new developments in a story everyone is talking about all day, you name it, all over the place.
More cases are being reported here in the U.S. We have new warnings to share with you and we have got some smart folks here to answer your questions and separate fear from reality.
Let's start with CNN correspondent Erica Hill.
Erica, exactly what do we know right now about the swine flu?
ERICA HILL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, we want to break it down for you right now. We can tell you the World Health Organization has actually raised its pandemic alert level.
Now, this does mean that the swine flu has become a pandemic, but they're just watching it very closely. Right now around the globe, there are 80 confirmed cases -- 45 of those are right here in the United States. Let's a look, though, first at Mexico because this is where it is believed that perhaps the swine flu may have started.
As you can see, 26 confirmed cases, 20 confirmed deaths. But when you look at the probable cases or the suspected cases, that's where the numbers really get interesting. It could be as many as 149 deaths related to swine flu. Those are things that officials are looking into. In Canada, six cases of what's being called mild swine flu have been confirmed.
There are also cases in Europe, two now reported in Scotland. Both patients there had just returned from Mexico. Also, there is one in Spain, again, one confirmed case, although there are 20 other cases which are under observation at this point in Spain -- Roland.
MARTIN: So, how bad is it here in the U.S.?
HILL: Taking a look at the U.S., the numbers are a lot bigger. As we said, 45 cases here in the U.S. spread across five states. And this just coming into us right before we went to air. We're hearing that there are five probable cases of swine flu in New Jersey.
The people who are involved in those probable cases of swine flu apparently have been involved in some travel to Mexico and California. So we will continue to follow that out of New Jersey throughout the hour to get you those updates. But in New York, here in New York City, the highest number, 28 confirmed cases, those are all linked to a group of high school students who recently took a spring break trip to Cancun.
California, Kansas, Texas, and Ohio also reporting cases. Important to note, in California, of those cases, not all of them involve travel to Mexico. And so that's another thing that they're looking at. The State Department also today a little earlier today issuing a travel warning for Mexico, saying, if it's not necessary travel, you may want to rethink it.
MARTIN: Smart move. Erica, thanks so much.
Now, folks, of course, Erica mentioned those high school students in New York who got sick.
With me now on the phone line is one of the people who may have contracted swine flu on that trip to Mexico.
Esti Lamonaca is a senior at St. Francis Prep, a high school in Queens, New York.
Esti, all right, are you there?
ESTI LAMONACA, POSSIBLE SWINE FLU VICTIM: Yes.
MARTIN: Now, exactly how did you find out that you might have this possible swine flu that's obviously more than the regular seasonal flu?
LAMONACA: Well, I went to the hospital on Saturday, after being sick for a few days, because my friends told me at school that a bunch of kids got sick and there's this new flu called the swine flu that is from Mexico. And since I have been, I figured I must have it. So I went to the hospital to get checked out.
And they told me it was a probability that I had the swine flu because I have been to Mexico and all the symptoms matched up.
MARTIN: Now, you went to the hospital. Were you tested for swine flu? And if not, why not?
LAMONACA: No. They did not test me swine flu. They -- all they said was that since you have been to Mexico and you have all the symptoms, you probably have it. I don't know why not. Supposedly they weren't testing a lot of kids because a lot of kids were going to be tested. I don't know if they didn't find it necessary or what. But I would like to know.
MARTIN: Yes. first of all, what are your parents saying? I don't understand if they say that you likely have it, but they didn't test you. I don't understand that.
LAMONACA: Yes. Me neither. My parents are as confused as I am.
The whole reason we went there was to get tested and just being like denied, saying, oh, you will be fine, you will better, it's a mild case of it, like, I just wanted to know.
MARTIN: Are you on any kind of prescriptions? How are you being treated?
LAMONACA: They didn't give me any prescriptions or anything. They just told me bed rest and drink a lot of fluids and they gave me surgical masks to wear if I go out or am in contact with people, so no one else gets infected.
MARTIN: How about precautions inside of your home? Any precautions your family is taking?
LAMONACA: No, they just make me wear the surgical mask, so they don't get sick either.
MARTIN: OK. Now, also, last question here, I have heard this phrase the dirty dozen...
(CROSSTALK)
(LAUGHTER)
MARTIN: ... at the school. Any concerns about going back to school?
LAMONACA: Yes. Of course. I don't think the dirty dozen is a good name at all. And I don't think people should be calling us that. No one knows how it started. So...
MARTIN: All right, well, Esti, we certainly appreciate it.
And I guess doctors told me I likely have swine flu, I would probably go get a second opinion. I certainly appreciate it. Thanks a lot.
Folks, also with me tonight, in addition to Erica Hill, are chief business correspondent Ali Velshi, our national political correspondent, Jessica Yellin, and Lisa Bloom, anchor of truTV's "In Session."
Now, then, folks, all roads from the outbreak appear to lead back to Mexico. Mexico City has already taken drastic steps to stop the spread of the virus and may take even more.
Our chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, is there tonight.
Doc, how's it going?
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Roland, it is going all right.
This is an interesting place right now, as you might imagine. If Mexico City is sort of the epicenter of all this, this hospital behind me is ground zero. This is where they took care of some of the earliest cases.
Roland, it was a mystery for a long time, as we're starting to learn now. These patients came in. They were in their 20s, 30s and 40s. And they got very sick and they thought it was sort of a late- season flu. But then they found this virus, a virus that the world's never seen before.
The mayor of the city just found out about this last Thursday, so this is all happening very, very fast, Roland.
MARTIN: Sanjay, exactly what are the symptoms of swine flu?
GUPTA: Well, you know, it's interesting because there's a lot of overlap with regular flu. You think about headache, you think about cough, you think about body aches, fever.
What is interesting, though, I think about swine flu, and this is as a result of talking to lots of doctors around here, they the fever is a sort of cardinal characteristic. And the fever comes on suddenly and it is very high, like over 103 degrees. So, simply taking your temperature could be one of your earliest warnings of swine flu.
Also, a sudden dizziness seems to be a symptom that a lot of doctors have mentioned that have treated patients here, and nausea, vomiting as well. Again, you could have some overlap with the regular flu, but some of those things are a bit distinctive when it comes to swine flu.
MARTIN: Sanjay, normally, we focus on the elderly and infants when it comes to the flu, but in Mexico we are seeing folks in the prime of their health, young folks, catching it. Any understanding as to why young people or folks who are healthy are getting swine flu?
GUPTA: This is somewhat counterintuitive, Roland.
Think about it like this. The reason elderly people and very young people sometimes get the worst ramifications of seasonal flu is because their immune systems aren't that strong. They just can't fight off the virus. With this particular virus, it is exactly the opposite.
Their immune systems are strong. But what happens is, they have such a strong response from their immune system, they start to develop inflammation all over their body, including their lungs. So, it's not so much the virus, but the response to the virus, that seems to be a problem.
By the way, we have seen this before with SARS, for example. That was a clue. The 1918 pandemic, that was a clue. It wasn't hitting the elderly and the young. It was hitting people in the prime of their lives.
MARTIN: Are the officials in Mexico getting a sense they have, frankly, gotten their hands around this, or are they expecting even worse numbers in terms of more people coming down with this?
GUPTA: I think that they're still going to see more numbers. In part that's because more people are getting infected. I think that's in part because everyone's paying attention to the news and they're saying, well, that sounds like me and they're going to the doctor and getting checked out.
A lot of people may have a very mild illness. They otherwise would not have gone to the doctor. Roland, the hard thing for us to sort of sort out here is the number deaths around 150 now, but that's the numerator. We don't know what sort of the denominator is here. We don't know out of how many people sick. We know there was roughly 2,000 that went to the hospital. But there may have been thousands more that had mild illness. If that's the case, this is a much less fatal infection than we thought.
MARTIN: All right. Sanjay, thanks so much. We appreciate it.
Folks, Sanjay has been tweeting from Mexico City since he landed. And if you go right now to CNN.com/Campbell, we will link you to his Twitter site and to all the various official Twitter sites from the CDC and the World Health Organization. Remember, CNN.com/Campbell is where you can get instant information on the swine flu outbreak as it comes in.
But don't go anywhere, because we have got a lot more to get to, the questions we are asking and answering. What are the best ways to protect yourself and your family from swine flu? What's the economic impact? Should you still travel? And what about our government? Is Washington overreacting or not going far enough to keep us safe?
I know you have questions of your own. That's why we have brought in doctors. Who better to help ease your worries?
You can call them right now at 1-877-NO-BULL-0. That's 1-877- 662-8550. I will be taking some of your calls on the air as well. And as always you can e-mail me, Roland@CNN.com, or find me on Twitter and Facebook.
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MARTIN: We're back with tonight's breaking news, the outbreak of swine flu in the U.S. and the worries about a possible pandemic.
So far in the U.S., 45 confirmed cases in five states, New York, Ohio, Kansas, Texas, and California. CNN has crews across the country monitoring the situation.
Tonight, Deborah Feyerick is New York, Ed Lavandera in Dallas.
But we begin with Thelma Gutierrez on the U.S.-Mexican in San Ysidro, California -- Thelma.
THELMA GUTIERREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Roland, I can tell you there are one confirmed cases now so far in California.
And people on both sides of the border tell us they're very concerned about the movement of people between two countries. I'm standing at one of the busiest border crossings in the country.
There are about 100,000 people who cross through this area each and every day. And we just talked to Customs and Border Protection Agency. They told us that they're on heightened alert. That means that their agents have been briefed about the illness. If they spot anyone with obvious flu-like symptoms, they're told to pull them over for questioning. If the people appear to be sick, they can quarantine them and then call the health department to take over.
But so far, a very important piece of information, they have not seen one case. Now, there are a handful of agents who are working down here, looking at the travelers. They're wearing some masks, but it is not mandatory. They wear gloves any way.
Right now, some of the -- the travelers have told us they have not been asked one question related to their health. But a curious sight that we have seen out here on the United States side of the border are Mexican citizens who have come over here for shopping and they're actually wearing masks to protect themselves.
I asked one woman why she is doing that. She told us, well, simple. We want to protect ourselves and we know that a virus is not going to get stopped at the border.
That's it from Thelma Gutierrez San Ysidro -- back to you, Ed.
ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Ed Lavandera in Dallas, and where Texas state health officials are reporting at least six confirmed cases of swine flu, three of those cases stemming out of Guadalupe County, which is just north of San Antonio.
And Dallas County health officials reporting -- confirming three cases this afternoon of the swine flu. In the Guadalupe County situation, 14 schools have been shut down because of this. An elementary school in the Dallas area has also been shut down. And across the state, they are also investigating several suspected cases.
But we understand that those samples have gone off for testing at the CDC and that it could take up to 72 hours to get the results back from those tests. So, for now, state health officials across the state reporting at least six confirmed cases of swine flu so far.
And one interesting thing, as health officials monitor the flights going in and out of major airports to Mexico, one of the other areas that they're focusing on as well is the bus system. In Houston and in Dallas, there are a great number of bus companies that do a lot of business sending travelers back and forth between Dallas and Houston and cities in Mexico.
So, that's one of the areas where they're focusing on as well. That's the latest from Texas.
Let me pass it along to my colleague Deb Feyerick in New York.
DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And I'm Deb Feyerick outside the New York City Health Department, where officials are tracking as many as 45 cases of swine flu -- 20 of those have been confirmed -- 17 are pending awaiting test results from the Centers for Disease Control. None of those infected have been hospitalized. However, two people say that they are having difficulty recuperating. Now, all of these are from a cluster at a Queens school, all the cases related there. And investigators right now tracking to figure out whether those students may have exposed family members who in turn may have exposed co-workers.
That is why researchers and investigators tonight keeping a close eye as to how this illness is spreading. Now, one infectious disease specialist told us tracking swine flu is like tracking a hurricane. You never know which direction it is going to go. However, it is better to be criticized for doing too much than it is doing too little.
And for those students who did go to hospitals and who were not tested because they had mild similar tolls, well, doctors say their course of treatment would have been the same whether or not they tested positive for swine flu.
That's it from New York -- Roland.
MARTIN: All right, Deb, Ed, Thelma, thanks so much. We appreciate it.
Folks, here in the U.S., the agency on the front line of this crisis is Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The acting director, Dr. Richard Besser, is with us now from Atlanta.
And of course our panel is here as well.
And, Dr. Besser, you and other CDC officials have said people have to be ready for more severe cases of swine flu in this country and for deaths. What do you expect to see over the next few days?
DR. RICHARD BESSER, ACTING DIRECTOR, CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION: Well, this is a rapidly-changing situation and it's very difficult to predict what we're going to see here in the United States.
We are doing very aggressive surveillance, looking in clinics and hospitals to see if there are more cases of swine flu and if there are any cases of hospitalized flu that have gone undetected.
Given what we know about Mexico, and given what we know about the virus, they appear to be the same virus. I would be very surprised if we don't see more severe cases in this country, the way they're reporting severe cases from Mexico.
MARTIN: Earlier today, you said the confirmed age or the median age was 16 years old. So, why are younger people seemingly more vulnerable to this flu?
BESSER: Well, frequently, we will see a younger population more vulnerable to new strains of flu. Older individuals may have been exposed to more strains of flu over their lifetime that provide some degree of cross-protection.
With every new strain of flu, one of the questions we want to look at is, what type of cross-protection has been afforded? Seeing younger people involved in a new strain of flu is not that unusual, but it's one of the worrisome signs that we have to pay attention to.
JESSICA YELLIN, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Dr. Besser, this is Jessica Yellin in New York.
My question for you is, we have seen people who are victims die of this in Mexico, but they're surviving here in the U.S. What accounts for this? Is it because we have a superior public health system?
BESSER: That's a great question.
We have teams on the ground that are working with the Canadians and the Mexicans to try and understand the situation in Mexico. The answer to that question, why are we seeing that difference, is very important.
It may be that we're earlier in terms of the introduction of this virus into our communities. It hasn't infected as many people in the population. Or it may be something else, a change in the virus over time.
We are looking. And I, again, would not be surprised if over time we find cases that were more severe than the 40 we have reported. We report our cases once a day. And of the 40 individuals who have had this infection, only one has been hospitalized. And they have all recovered. And we are very thankful for that.
But, as time goes on, I can't be -- I don't feel assured that we are going to be able to continue reporting that happy story.
LISA BLOOM, TRUTV ANCHOR: Dr. Besser, I know that the CDC has the legal authority under federal law to quarantine patients if it's a potential flu pandemic. We're clearly not there yet, but at what point might the CDC invoke that authority?
BESSER: We have issued today guidelines for how communities should manage cases of swine flu.
And one of the things that we are recommending is home isolation. So, it makes common sense. If someone is sick with the flu, they should stay home and not go out until after their illness has ended. One of the things we are suggesting in that document is that family members consider voluntary home quarantine, and in that way reducing their exposure to the community.
They would be able to go out, but try not to expose themselves to as many people in the community as they might otherwise.
HILL: Doctor, this is Erica Hill, also in New York. We just heard from one of the students in Queens who said that she had been to the doctor and they told her she didn't need to be tested for swine flu and that she wasn't tested.
Are you concerned at all that hospitals and doctors across the country could be missing cases of swine flu?
BESSER: Well, you know, given the way swine flu has been appearing in this country, I think it is without a doubt that we have missed some cases.
It's here been a mild illness and the initial detection was not because someone was sick. It was a part of a study.
(CROSSTALK)
HILL: Is enough information getting out, though, that a student from the school of Queens where it was the first place we heard about it in the U.S. was not being tested for it? Is there a disconnect?
BESSER: Well, to be frank, once you have identified that school cluster, and you have identified to date 28 children there who are testing positive for flu, another test positive doesn't provide much information.
You can have an assumption that anyone who was exposed to those children in that school who has flu-like symptoms likely has that same type of flu. And so then it comes down to what type of treatment for that patient. And that is between the patient and the doctor in terms of the severity and whether they have already recovered.
MARTIN: Dr. Richard Besser, certainly won't -- will not be the last time we will be chatting with you over the next few days. We certainly appreciate it. Thanks a lot.
BESSER: Thank you.
MARTIN: Folks, the swine flu crisis comes as President Barack Obama gets ready to mark his 100th day in office. That's on Wednesday. And the president has scheduled a prime-time news conference at 8:00 p.m. Eastern. It will be part of a special prime- time event starting at 7:00 Eastern, CNN's national report card on the president's first 100 days.
Ahead, we break down who's doing what in Washington. We have already heard from some of you on this.
Here's Joshua on Facebook -- quote -- "I think that the president's job is minimize the amount of fear surrounding swine flu in the U.S. However, swine flu is something that is serious and we must take all measures to ensure a vaccination is in place and available to all."
What are your thoughts? Give us a shout. 1-877-NO-BULL-0. That's 1-877-662-8550. You can also e-mail me or find me on Twitter and Facebook.
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MARTIN: You know, Ali, Dr. Besser was one of the folks who was really focused on the bird flu.
ALI VELSHI, CNN CHIEF BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Yes.
MARTIN: And so it's amazing what happens when you have gone through this sort of situation before.
VELSHI: Right.
MARTIN: You are prepared for a situation now.
VELSHI: And I'm pleased about that. We have had the bird flu, the preparations for that. We have had the -- we went through SARS, at least in some parts of this continent.
So, I kind of feel like they -- they're not surprised by it. There might be an abundance of caution that is dictating what they're doing, but that's a good thing.
MARTIN: Absolutely.
Now, folks, look, we are getting lots of questions from you at home, like this one I-Reporter Andre Zandona in San Diego.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANDREW ZANDONA, CNN IREPORTER: You see people wearing face masks in an attempt to protect themselves from the influenza virus. But isn't it true that the virus is so small that they can make it through the pores of the mask? So, why wear a mask in the first place?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MARTIN: Great question. Our experts are standing by to answer that in just a minute.
And we want to hear from you, too. Give us a shout at 1-877-NO- BULL-0. That's 1-877-662-8550. You can e-mail or find me on Twitter and Facebook -- back in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MARTIN: The swine flu outbreak, folks, has only been on the nation's radar for a few days, but already it's become the first serious health crisis to unfold in the Obama administration. We are seeing government response on many levels, but is it the right response?
Our national political correspondent, Jessica Yellin, is here.
Now, Jessica, walk us through this. How's the government supposed to respond during a health emergency?
YELLIN: Well, Roland, it's supposed to start at the local level.
When a school nurse or a doctor in a local community sees a pattern, they notify their local health department, who in turn is supposed to tell their state health department, so it goes up the chain. They notify the Centers for Disease Control in Washington, D.C. And the CDC then will notify the Department of Homeland Security and Health and Human Services, who are right now on constant conference calls and are in constant contact.
The federal government can even sometimes monitor what pharmacies are selling, so, if they see an increase, for example, in the sale of flu drugs in a community, they can note -- they can realize that there might be an epidemic or an instance there, and they don't have to rely on people in every instance to alert them, Roland.
MARTIN: Now, of course, the Obama administration, they're going to hit with lots of questions, because they have got a bunch of vacancies among their health officials.
YELLIN: They sure do.
The president is missing three of the people he would normally turn to in this situation, his secretary of health and human services, the head of the Centers for Disease Control, and the surgeon general. None of those people are in their posts. And it is not just those folks, but they have staff. So, for example, there are 18 other vacancies at HHS.
And that's all because of problems we have been talking about for so many months, vetting problems or political fights with Congress. It's worth pointing out that tomorrow the Senate is supposed to vote on the HHS nominee, Kathleen Sebelius.
And so we could see her in office by the end of the week. One thing I should add, to give you some assurance that the government is working well, the Obama administration says everything is functioning.
And, in fact, believe it or not, the Bush administration prepared for an instance like this. They prepared existing career professionals to respond to pandemics with lots of practice drills.
So, the government, we're told, is working well. It would be good, though, if the president had his people in place, Roland.
MARTIN: All right, Jessica, thanks a bunch. I appreciate it.
Now, of course let's find out what the experts are hearing, our panel of folks, Dr. Anne Moscona, an infectious disease expert from Cornell Medical Center, Dr. Brian Koll, chief of infection control at Beth Israel Medical Center, and Dr. Angelo Acquista, author of "The Survival Guide: What to Do in a Biological, Chemical, or Nuclear Emergency."
All right.
Now, folks, now, exactly what are folks saying? What's the most important thing or questions they're asking here?
DR. ANNE MOSCONA, THE NEW YORK PRESBYTERIAN HOSPITAL AT WEILL- CORNELL SCHOOL OF MEDICINE: People want to know what to do right now. How worried should we be? What should we do with certain kinds of people, people who are the immunocompromised, people who are elderly? How can we take care of our loved ones?
MARTIN: Brian?
DR. BRIAN KOLL, BETH ISRAEL MEDICAL CENTER: People are very concerned about protecting themselves, protecting their family members, and their co-workers.
MARTIN: Angelo?
DR. ANGELO ACQUISTA, AUTHOR, "THE SURVIVAL GUIDE: WHAT TO DO IN A BIOLOGICAL, CHEMICAL, OR NUCLEAR EMERGENCY": Some of the calls that I received today related to the fact that many people are traveling and whether they should travel and what precautions they should be taking, and what symptoms and signs to look for, in the event that they do develop some symptoms.
So, their concern is mostly travel at the present time.
MARTIN: Now, Brian, we are seeing folks -- we saw Sanjay wearing a mask in Mexico. Other folks are saying wash your hands.
What can people do to protect themselves and their children and loved ones?
KOLL: We're very fortunate right now in the United States that the illnesses have been mild.
And the recommendations that we are telling people would be what we would tell people to do during a normal influenza season. Wash your hands. If you're coughing, don't cough into somebody's face, but cough into your arm. Don't go to work. Get bed rest. And drink lots of fluids.
MARTIN: Ann, one thing that jumps out, 36,000 people die every single year from the flu. So what makes this all of a sudden so different because there have been no reported deaths? Again, there have been no deaths in the U.S.
MOSCONA: There are a few things. First of all, this is a brand new virus for us. This is a virus that in the past has only infected pigs. Suddenly it's infecting humans. That means that we are completely not immune to it.
And the next thing is that there have been deaths among young, healthy adults in Mexico who not normally die from influenza during normal season. You're right that there are 36,000, up to 40,000 deaths every year but those are mostly elderly, debilitated people.
MARTIN: All right. Hold tight one second. We've got lots of folks who are calling you. So, again, we're taking all the different questions we're trying to get the answers for them.
Folks, look, we have lots of things going on when we come back. But first, you've got to see this. We're all about NO BIAS, NO BULL but tonight, this bull makes it on to the program. We'll tell you why.
And you haven't seen Campbell Brown for a few weeks but you will when we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MARTIN: Folks, we've got experts standing by tonight to answer your questions on swine flu. Give us a call now. 1-877-NO-BULL-0. That's 1-877-662-8550. Well, right now, we turn to Erica Hill who's here with "The Briefing."
ERICA HILL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Get you updated on what else is happening out there in the world today. As if Mexico didn't have enough problems, a 5.6 earthquake rocking some tall buildings in Mexico City today. Office workers, many of them as you see here, wearing masks to guard against swine flu streaming into the streets. Luckily, no reports of damage or serious injuries. The quake was centered near Acapulco.
A manhunt continues tonight for a University of Georgia professor suspected of killing his wife and two men outside a community theater over the weekend. Professor George Zinkhan reportedly has a ticket to fly to the Netherlands this week.
In Iowa, the state's first same-sex wedding is taking place today. The state Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage on April 3rd. It makes Iowa the third state to allow the union.
Seven fans hit by flying debris after a fiery crash at Talladega Superspeedway in Alabama on Sunday. The driver walked away unscathed. Track officials said none of the fans' injuries are life threatening. But look at that right there go through the fence.
And while this program may be called NO BIAS, NO BULL, tonight we have some bull for you in a large way. Take a look at this.
This is a bull, thankfully not in a Chinese shop, but a supermarket in Ireland last week. And while there was plenty of excitement, the good news, no injuries.
MARTIN: OK, Jessica, you were in Ireland last week.
JESSICA YELLIN, CNN NATL. POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: I didn't see any --
MARTIN: Did you cause it?
YELLIN: No, I swear. That was nuts.
HILL: If she caused it, it's likely to be her fault. I think you're going to say were you a witness (ph).
(CROSSTALK)
MARTIN: She was hungry. She said, hey, that's dinner.
YELLIN: You don't want to know what I was doing, right?
HILL: We'll keep that quiet. There were no cameras. It's better that way.
MARTIN: All right, all right.
(LAUGHTER)
Folks, we've been hearing from some of you at home wondering how our Campbell Brown is doing while she's on maternity leave.
Well, as you can see, she's doing great. She accepted a Matrix Award for broadcasting today from New York Women in Communications. The awards have been given out since 1970 to women with remarkable achievements and outstanding leadership roles in their fields. Listen to what Campbell had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CAMPBELL BROWN, CNN ANCHOR: It is my team who you are recognizing here as much as it is me. Everyone in television knows it is entirely a collaborative effort.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MARTIN: All right. This wife -- all right. Folks, she's talking about (ph) handling with the baby and everything.
HILL: Always very humble but to let you know too that Campbell is a very hard-working woman who deserves a lot of the credit there. She deserves that credit.
MARTIN: And with a newborn, she's working 24/7.
HILL: I've got two little ones at home.
MARTIN: There you go.
All right, folks, the swine flu scare has the tourism business bracing for a major hit. And we're hearing from lots of you at home who are worried too.
Kandee Cooks says this on Facebook, "I am afraid that people from all over the country that just got back from Mexico on vacation or business might bring it back to the other 45 states that have no cases yet."
Well, what do you think? Give us a call. 1-877-NO-BULL-0. That's 1-877-662-8550. Also e-mail me Roland@CNN.com or hit me on Facebook and Twitter.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MARTIN: Folks, the swine flu outbreak couldn't come at a worst time for the world economy. Tonight, the tourism industry already reeling from the world economy is closely looking at how this is affecting their business. And so, what do you do if you are planning a trip to Mexico? We're back with Erica Hill, Ali Velshi, Jessica Yellin and Lisa Bloom.
And, Ali, look, global prices right now, people are worried. So, you know, how does the swine flu affect the economy?
ALI VELSHI, CNN CHIEF BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Well, cancellations. We've got cancellations. You'll have conferences canceled. You have a lot of trips canceled.
Not a whole lot just yet and if this thing is sort of resolved in short order, we won't see a lot. Unlike a hurricane or something else, there's no physical destruction so trips that are canceled will be rebooked. That's not a big deal. Of course, if it starts to stretch out, then you will start to see vulnerable industries getting damaged.
Now, we've heard from a lot of airlines, if you've got flights booked to Mexico, you can cancel that. I've spoken to Marriott Hotel. They said look, all our branded hotels, all our company-owned hotels, if we -- or managed hotels, if you want to cancel just because you feel uncertain, go ahead and cancel. They're asking all their franchises to do the same.
I spoke to Princess Cruises. Guess what? They are not doing the same.
MARTIN: Wow.
VELSHI: Now if I were concerned about viruses, I might want to back off a cruise. They even have cruises to Mexico they're not making any changes to.
Now they said they'll be governed by what the CDC says. You heard the CDC gentleman saying we want people to be cautious on their own. CDC issued a notice to say avoid all nonessential travel to Mexico at this time. You know, most people think of a vacation --
MARTIN: Out on a cruise --
VELSHI: Right. Well --
MARTIN: If you get a lot of stress in your life, you'll probably --
(CROSSTALK)
VELSHI: Fair enough. It's not that it's hard to do, but the bottom line is, you will see some cancellations. Marriott says only about 100 so far. But you will see some. Easier to deal with this ahead of time.
YELLIN: What about Wall Street? Aren't people going to start buying certain kinds of stocks?
VELSHI: Sure. You talk to me. YELLIN: Right.
VELSHI: Pharmaceutical stocks were way up. Those companies that might have a virus, an antidote to it or an antibiotic, you saw those up.
MARTIN: Masks.
VELSHI: You saw airlines down. Masks, we haven't seen a big move enough, but you're going to see them and obviously people are buying masks. I generally think it's a bad move to try and play a crisis if you're an investor in the stock market, but you definitely will see some of that.
LISA BLOOM, ANCHOR OF TRUTV'S "IN SESSION": Ali, we know Mexico City, the city of 8.8 million people, a major world city...
VELSHI: Yes.
BLOOM: ... and people are saying let's shut down. It might be a little overstated but how long before we see a ripple effect on the U.S. economy and the world economy?
VELSHI: Well, it sort of depends on your preparation, right? I mean, here in New York City, for instance, this is a city that is well prepared for disaster on any level. Plus, because everybody lives so close together, you find that places like New York, Chicago, places like that, they actually have good preparation because they understand the damage of that. The issue is how well you prepare.
This is a virus. It's not a mystery as to how it spreads. We actually know how it spreads. The issue is how well will people take care of themselves? And that might involve not being in crowded places and not taking vacations.
MARTIN: All right. Ali Velshi breaking it down. We certainly appreciate it.
Folks, short of staying home, what can you do to protect yourself in the face of swine flu? What works and what doesn't? Senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen with some swine flu myths and facts.
Elizabeth, now, let's start here. You can get swine flu from pork. Fact or fiction?
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: That is a myth, Roland. You cannot get swine flu from eating pork. This is not a food-borne illness. This is a respiratory disease. So if you want to eat pork, go ahead.
MARTIN: Keep slicing that bacon.
(LAUGHTER)
COHEN: So there might be other reasons to that but we won't get exactly to that.
MARTIN: Lisa Bloom is saying, yes, bacon. All right.
BLOOM: No, no, no.
VELSHI: She always knows what a bacon looks like.
MARTIN: All right. She's a veg. She's a vegetarian.
BLOOM: All right. Elizabeth, if I had a flu shot, am I protected?
COHEN: No, you're not. Lisa, sorry to tell you that but the experts I've been talking to say that is fiction. That a flu shot from this year is not going to help you.
Now, if you've gotten a flu shot every year for decades, it may give you some protection against swine flu but even that they're a little bit mushy on so don't count on flu shots.
VELSHI: Hey, Elizabeth, it's Ali. Listen, we had an iReport from somebody who said he has heard that the spores are smaller than the spaces in the masks, because you hold the mask up the light, you can see -- you can see light through it. If I wear a mask, am I protected?
COHEN: You know what? It depends on what kind of mask you're wearing. Nothing is going to offer you 100 percent protection but if you're going to wear one of these -- so fiction. Yes, definitely fiction. So, I mean, protected 100 percent.
Take a look at this flimsy mask. This is the one, you know, you see people wearing these. These aren't going to do a whole lot for you because they leave too many gaps between the masks in your face.
If you really want to protect yourself not just from this but anytime during a situation where you want to protect yourself, you want to wear what's called an N-95 mask. You take this metal piece, you pinch it around your nose and it gives you a much tighter fit. And if you really want to go all out, find someone who's experienced at fitting them to your face, that's even better. But you know what, nothing is going to give you 100 percent protection.
MARTIN: I use that for grass. I do.
VELSHI: You're worried about the grass spores getting into your mouth?
MARTIN: Gets in your system.
(CROSSTALK)
YELLIN: Roland is very delicate.
VELSHI: We've got the guy without the grass in the system and we've got a vegetarian here. We've got it all covered. MARTIN: You don't understand grass. Go right ahead.
YELLIN: I was surprised he mows the lawn.
MARTIN: Yes.
YELLIN: OK. Elizabeth, every mother's favorite tool -- hand sanitizer. So is hand sanitizer as good as washing your hands?
COHEN: I'm a mother and it is one of my favorite tools. And the answer here is that is actually a fact. The CDC says that you can do either. You can wash your hands with soap or use hand sanitizer. Not just when you want to stay away from swine flu but when you want to stay away from any kind of virus or bacteria.
You know, it's so boring to hear over and over again wash your hands, wash your hands, or sanitize your hands. But really, that is your best defense if you're worried about catching any bug.
MARTIN: All right. You hear that, Lisa? Wash your hands before that bacon.
BLOOM: And wash your hands with hot water and soap, not the way kids usually do it.
HILL: And for a long time you have to sing, what -- "happy birthday."
VELSHI: Come on.
BLOOM: That's what we teach our kids. Wash them for a long time.
VELSHI: Come on.
BLOOM: Hot, hot water.
MARTIN: OK. All right. Thank you very much.
OK, I was singing "happy birthday" washing hands.
HILL: If you haven't burned them off, you're not protected.
MARTIN: There you go. We've seen all the pictures from Mexico -- face masks, empty cities and lots of concern. But remember, President Barack Obama was there less than two weeks ago. Could he have been exposed to the virus? That story is coming up.
Plus, your calls and comments. Here's an iReport from Rick Seno.
RICK SENO, IREPORTER: Any Americans that either are in Mexico now or taking trips to Mexico need to have a note from a doctor saying that they are healthy enough to come back into the country. People are saying that this could be the next great pandemic of this century and we need to take every possible precaution to prevent that from happening. MARTIN: Wow, a note from the doctor to come back home. You can talk to our swine flu experts tonight. Give us a call 1-877-662-8550 or check us out on Facebook or Twitter.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MARTIN: How many got caught in today's White House press conference? Trust me, a lot of concern among the reporters there that President Barack Obama might have been exposed to the swine flu virus. That question tops tonight's "Political Daily Briefing" with our national political correspondent, Jessica Yellin, back from unleashing the bulls in Ireland.
YELLIN: Well, we have good news, Roland. It would seem that our commander in chief was not exposed to swine flu. There were reports that a man who gave the president a tour during that recent trip to Mexico died soon after the disease. Well, guess what? It's not true.
The Mexican embassy confirmed today that the president's tour guide did die but he died of a pre-existing condition and not swine flu. And the president certainly is not acting sick.
Yesterday, he played golf at the course at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland and today, he shot some hoops after meeting with the UConn women's Huskies who were at the White House for a visit. It's a big perks to the job and he's feeling good.
MARTIN: All right then. Glad he's feeling better now. Let's talk about some -- these politicians who're in a bit of trouble tonight.
YELLIN: Yes. They are five House Democrats including civil rights veteran, Representative John Lewis of Georgia, were arrested outside Sudan's embassy in Washington when they crossed a police line while protesting genocide in Darfur. Lewis told CNN that sometimes you have to find a way to dramatize an issue. We understand they'll be released.
MARTIN: All right. Now, a lot of drama today in New York. Folks got a little uneasy with a plane flying overhead.
VELSHI: Crazy story.
HILL: It's ridiculous.
YELLIN: Very, very bizarre.
VELSHI: Flying low over New York with F-16.
YELLIN: Did you see it?
VELSHI: No. I heard about it from a bunch of people and I saw the videos. It is crazy.
YELLIN: The video is nuts. OK, so here's what happened. One of the president's airplanes took a low flight over parts of New York and New Jersey this morning. Two F-16 fighter jets were accompanying the Air Force One look-alike, so you can imagine the image creating quite a scare for a lot of New Yorkers. Some buildings were even evacuated.
Now it turns out this was all because Air Force photographers wanted to get pictures of the plane above New York's harbor.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg said he was furious that he had not been told in advance about the flyover and feel bad for this guy, the director of the White House military office. Louis Caldera fell on the sword saying he approved the decision himself and he issued a statement saying, "I apologize and take responsibility for any distress the flight caused."
And our White House correspondent Ed Henry reports that the president didn't even know about the flyover till after it happened and he also was irate.
MARTIN: Apparently, he told some folks in the mayor's office but it didn't get word to the mayor.
Ok, they were told.
HILL: He didn't know.
YELLIN: But still.
VELSHI: All right. So then, the problem is with the mayor's office, right?
YELLIN: But how do you tell New Yorkers be prepared for an Air Force One look-alike flying low over the cities with fighter jets?
BLOOM: Alert the media, perhaps?
HILL: Have you ever heard of photo shop? I mean, when you see -- no.
VELSHI: They actually have to fly the plane over New York.
MARTIN: Right, right.
HILL: Think about the stress that this causes to people in this city, in particular...
VELSHI: Yes.
YELLIN: Right.
HILL: ... to see any plane let alone Air Force One flying low over the city...
VELSHI: With a couple of Air Force jets near it.
HILL: And downtown. Come on.
YELLIN: I just don't want the military photo shopping anything.
HILL: That's an excellent point actually. Forget the photo shop.
MARTIN: The photographer likes good photos, too.
All right, folks, "LARRY KING LIVE" comes at the top of the hour with more on our top story.
Larry, what are you talking about and who are you talking with?
LARRY KING, HOST, "LARRY KING LIVE": You got it, Roland. We're going to have the latest on the swine flu outbreak. Looks like there could be new cases in New Jersey tonight.
Is the illness a danger to all of this country and the world? Well, we're going to try to separate fact from fiction with our own Dr. Sanjay Gupta and Oprah's health expert Dr. Oz.
And then we're going to remember the great Bea Arthur with her "Golden Girls" co-stars Betty White and Rue McClanahan. And actress Mia Farrow is going to be here to tell us why she is on a hunger strike. We'll see you next on "LARRY KING LIVE," Roland.
MARTIN: All right. Larry, rocking the baby blue suspenders. I like it.
Larry, see you in a bit.
(LAUGHTER)
Folks, look, I like commenting on Larry's suspenders.
VELSHI: Larry rocking the baby blue suspenders.
BLOOM: You just wait for somebody to comment on the great tie and the nice pocket square (ph).
MARTIN: No, no.
HILL: Nice work, Lisa.
MARTIN: Next, here's why the flu has some changing the same old routine tonight. Here's signatureladyj on Twitter -- "I have eight children. I've canceled going to school, work, store. I live in San Diego near the border. I'm just cautious."
OK, what can you do and what should you know? Your calls on the air next. We have three top-notch doctors standing by to answer your questions at no charge.
We have experts here on standby. Give us a shout 1-877-NO-BULL- 0. That's 1-877-662-8550. You can also e-mail me or find me on Twitter and Facebook. Talking about Lisa, we're going to have some baby blue suspenders up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MARTIN: Just to recap you on the latest on the swine flu, at least 45 confirmed cases of swine flu in this country. And now, New Jersey's reporting they may have five possible cases.
We've been talking to you all night about swine flu. Now it's time to talk with you. Erica Hill, Ali Velshi, Jessica Yellin and Lisa Bloom here, as always.
Also, our doctors on call to answer your calls. Dr. Anne Moscona, an infectious disease expert from Cornell Medical Center, Dr. Brian Koll, chief of infection control at Beth Israel Medical Center, and, of course, Dr. Angelo Acquista, former medical director for New York City's Emergency Management Office.
All right. We've got folks on the phone lines. Let's go to Lubbock, Texas. Nick.
NICK, TEXAS (via telephone): Hey, thanks for taking my call. My question is, my nephew was born two months premature and he's in the neonatal intensive care unit here in Lubbock. And I asked my sister- in-law if the hospital is taking any preventive measures and she said that not to what she could tell. My question is, do hospitals need to take preventive measures to make sure that infected people aren't infecting those who are already sick?
MARTIN: All right. Good question. Who wants it?
MOSCONA: I'll take that.
MARTIN: Go ahead.
MOSCONA: Yes, I'm a pediatrician and I can tell you that hospitals are definitely taking preventive measures and one of the places where those are most stringent are going to be in the neonatal intensive care units. So people will not be allowed in. Very stringent, infection control measures will be followed to prevent the vulnerable newborns from getting infected. And hospital plans have kicked into effect for just a situation like this.
MARTIN: All right. To Manassas, Virginia, Chad. Chad, what's your comment or question?
CHAD, VIRGINIA (via telephone): Hey, Roland, I'm excited to be on the show. I've been waiting a couple of weeks to finally get through. Hopefully I don't stumble over my words here.
MARTIN: Just keep it up. We're going to get the answer to it.
CHAD: I've been following the story for the past couple of days and I've done a lot of research. I don't have enough time to share all the research that I found but most importantly, I think the media's really blowing this issue out of proportion. Even though your experts are saying they have significant difference, myself and my community, we're not convinced that there's much of a difference between a swine flu and a seasonal influenza.
As we all know, influenza causes fatalities all over the world every year and every symptom of this is exactly the same as seasonal influenza. In fact, the girl that you had called earlier who had a visit to Mexico and came back, she stated the hospital didn't even test her for swine flu.
MARTIN: Well, actually, Chad -- actually, Chad, remember -- Chad, Chad, she also said that doctors said it will be more than likely you do have swine flu but they didn't test her. That also raised a red flag.
We certainly appreciate your question, though. What about that whole question that is, are we making a big deal out of this?
Brian?
KOLL: I don't think we are making a big deal. I would say that we're very fortunate right now that the disease has been mild in the United States, and it can be compared to regular seasonal influenza. However, if I was in Mexico, we would be saying something very different, so very early in this outbreak. The flu virus is a tricky virus. It can mutate, and the situation can change very quickly, very rapidly.
MARTIN: All right. Hold tight one second. We've got lots more questions we'll get to. Folks, we're going to a break right now so give us a call. 1-877-662-8550.
Back in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MARTIN: All right, folks. We're back talking about tonight's breaking story -- the swine flu outbreak. More of your questions from our experts right now.
I want to go to Angelo for our final comment. Angelo, how do you close this out?
DR. ANGELO ACQUISTA, AUTHOR, "THE SURVIVAL GUIDE": I would say that in the current pandemic, it doesn't exist at the present time. There's reason to be concerned but no reason to panic and consult your local physician for the information that you need.
MARTIN: All right. Jessica, what about that? Folks are saying the president taking the right stance in terms of predicting calmness and saying concern but --
YELLIN: Right. He had to walk a fine line because you had to trigger an emergency in order to get medicine distributed, but you don't want people to, as they're saying, flip out. So the idea is to be aware of what's going on, the government is taking precautions, and still go about your life. Right?
VELSHI: Yes. And I think that's the balance we have to maintain. It's not panic, it is really valid concern. And I know from people I've talked to we've had to work that line saying it is important to know whether you're vulnerable. It's not important to panic.
HILL: In terms of vulnerability, real quickly, Chad asked about the deaths. 36,000 people a year die from the regular flu. Those are mainly the elderly and the very young. But why there's more concern with this one as we've heard from experts is because this does trigger young adults.
MARTIN: Hey, folks, we're out. Dr. Moscona, Dr. Koll and Dr. Acquista, we certainly appreciate it. Thanks so much. All of you who have called, thanks a bunch. And we'll see you tomorrow.
"LARRY KING LIVE" right now. See you tomorrow.
