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CNN Live At Daybreak

Florida Man Suspected of Contracting West Nile Virus

Aired July 24, 2001 - 07:25   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.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: Between 1999 and 2000 -- so about a year ago -- there were several -- about 82 cases of West Nile virus reported up in the New York and New Jersey area.

Well, now the first reported human case -- a presumptive human case -- has been discovered in Florida. A 50-year-old man is coming down with the symptoms. Tests will be completed later this week, but obviously some serious concern as to whether West Nile virus, which could be fatal, has spread out of the New York area.

So joining us right now is Dr. Steven Wiersma. He is with the Florida Department of Health. And he is also an epidemiologist and in charge of disease investigation -- good morning, Doctor.

DR. STEVEN WIERSMA, FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH: Good morning.

LIN: Well, what is the fate of this 50-year-old man? Do you know what his state is? And is he likely to die?

WIERSMA: Well, we know he was in very serious condition. But we understand that his situation is improving slightly. We don't have a lot of information to pass on about him.

LIN: Give us some background here just so that we are clear about what the West Nile virus is. How do you contract it? How is it spread?

WIERSMA: Well, it's a mosquito-borne virus. We have other mosquito-borne viruses in the state of Florida. But this is certainly a new one. We have been watching it spread eagerly and with some fear, I guess, as it moved out of the New York Metro area. And it has moved throughout the U.S. fairly rapidly -- and now all these recent developments in Florida.

LIN: And how is it that it kills?

WIERSMA: Well, it causes encephalitis, which is a swelling of the brain. And that is a serious condition. And, fortunately, with good supportive care in an ICU, patients do quite well. But it is a disease that can kill up to 10 percent of its victims.

LIN: And does it only take on mosquito bite or might it take several? WIERSMA: I don't think we understand fully all the details about this virus. It may be somewhat of a dose response. We know that a lot of people that are bitten and infected with the virus show no symptoms at all. Estimates of 100 to 300 patients have no signs of disease for every one that shows up at a doctor's office.

LIN: And some of the symptoms here -- fever, fatigue, dizziness, feeling a little bit of weakness -- people might think that they have come down with the flu. How long do they have before this disease -- or before the virus infects to such a state that it might become fatal?

WIERSMA: Well, the signs of encephalitis are fairly dramatic. So as this disease progresses rapidly, most of these people find they have to come to a physician for attention. And most of them, you know, get the care that they need.

LIN: Well, how do you protect yourself then?

WIERSMA: Well, in Florida, we are really trying to get the message out. In fact, we have gone to a 14-county medical alert to get that message out, especially in the North Florida area. The way that people can protect themselves is to avoid being bitten by mosquitoes. These are mosquitoes that would rather bite birds than humans, we think. But there are some unanswered questions.

So we are recommending people don't go out at dusk and dawn when these mosquitoes are most active. If they need to be out, I would recommend that they cover up as much as possible and use mosquito repellents that include deet in them.

LIN: Well, is the repellent enough, though? I mean, is there a chance that people in Florida, for example, are being warned, "Don't go out at all unless you absolutely, positively have to"? Is there...

WIERSMA: No.

LIN: ... of a concern there?

WIERSMA: Well, Florida is a fun place to be outdoors. We all enjoy the outdoors here. We have a lot of visitors. And we're not recommending curtailing those activities. We are recommending some simple preventative measures to reduce risk.

This is still a very rare disease. We have reported the first case outside the New York metro area. But, again, this is one case in a state that's 16 million residents, 40 million annual visitors. So it's still a very rare condition. And we don't think people need to lock themselves inside of their homes.

LIN: All right. What is spreading it? I mean, why would it go all the way from New York all the way south to Florida and not places and parts in between?

WIERSMA: Well, birds play a very important role in the spread of this virus, as well as mosquitoes. The virus is maintained in birds, and mosquitoes spread it between birds.

This is the time -- summer -- in Florida where we have a lot of mosquitoes around. And we also have a lot of birds. And, traditionally, with the other mosquito-borne viruses that we have, this is when we see amplification of the virus or large amounts of virus circulating. And so bird migrations probably play a role, bird movements within the state. And of course the abundant presence of mosquitoes play a role as well.

LIN: All right. Thank you very much, Dr. Wiersma. We hope for the best.

There was a suspected case here in the state of Georgia which still has not been confirmed. But we're going to keep our eyes on this story indeed. Thanks so much.

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