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CNN Live At Daybreak

Encephalitis Outbreak in Louisiana

Aired August 15, 2001 - 07:31   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: Well there has been an outbreak of encephalitis in Louisiana, but officials are not exactly sure if it's related to the West Nile virus. Now this comes as health officials along the East Coast grow more concerned about the spread of the virus.

So joining us to talk about the disease is our medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta.

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Morning.

LIN: Good morning, Sanjay.

GUPTA: Good morning to you.

LIN: What is the difference between Saint Louis encephalitis and West Nile virus?

GUPTA: Well there are some significant differences, although they're very similar, too. In Louisiana, you know there's been 16 cases, 7 of them we know have one of the two viruses and 9 just have encephalitis. But as far as the differences between the two, Saint Louis encephalitis has been here since -- in this country since 1933. West Nile virus is a relative newcomer since 1999, showed up in New York a couple summers ago. Saint Louis virus typically does not tend to kill birds and West Nile virus does and that's important because a lot of times you'll see bird die-offs immediately preceding infections in humans -- start to see a lot of birds dying in the area.

LIN: Simplify it for the audience here because we know West Nile virus kills so why are health officials so concerned about detecting the encephalitis and the concern that it might lead to West Nile virus?

GUPTA: Well, either one of them can kill. But in fact, West Nile virus and Saint Louis virus both have about a 3 to 15 or so percent lethal rate in, especially in the elderly if they develop symptoms. So they can both be pretty serious.

The detection -- differentiating does not really make a big difference in terms of treatment because there really is no treatment for either one of the viruses. There's no vaccines. Really, the treatment is mainly supportive, giving them IV fluids and trying to prevent the brain swelling that's associated with the encephalitis. But what the epidemiologists in Louisiana doctors right now are trying to do is differentiate which virus it actually is. We don't know and we may know as early as tomorrow.

LIN: All right. Is this -- is this serious, do you think, this outbreak?

GUPTA: It certainly can be serious, especially in the elderly and in children. There's a lot of mosquito bites, a lot of mosquitoes carrying the virus around and it certainly can be a problem. The best mechanisms, again, to try and prevent this are exactly that preventative measures -- wearing long sleeved shirts, trying to stay out of -- out of doors at dusk and at dawn and wearing insect repellent with deet in it. Those are some of the best things to do to try and prevent yourself from getting mosquito bites and getting the virus.

LIN: All right, thanks so much. Dr. Sanjay Gupta,...

GUPTA: Thank you.

LIN: ... I know you're following this story very closely. We'll check in later with you.

GUPTA: Yes, thank you.

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