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CNN Live At Daybreak
Target: Terrorism - Bioterrorism in the U.S.
Aired October 01, 2001 - 08:30 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.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: Republican Senator Frist of Tennessee is one of many concerned about the risk of biological attacks, Frist and Democratic Senator Edward Kennedy of Massachusetts have sent President Bush a list of recommendations for defending against such attacks. Senator Frist joins us from Washington. Welcome. Good to have you with us this morning.
SEN. BILL FRIST (R), TENNESSEE: Good to be with you Paula.
ZAHN: We should probably add for those folks that have not followed your resume over the years that you practiced medicine for many, many years. I know you have asked the President for a billion dollars for a whole range of considerations. What is it the United States most needs right now to better protect all of its citizens?
SEN. FRIST: Paula, I think that the fundamental issue today is our public health infrastructure. As you heard from the piece just before people are rushing out trying to do certain things--in truth, the overall risk of a biological germ warfare terrorist attack is low. It is increasing--we know that from September 11, we know that from intelligence around the world--the real scary thing about it is the consequence so is high--if people are exposed it will result in massive, massive casualties and our vulnerability is high.
And therefore we in our bill, in our request to the President, have stressed three things. Number one, prevention of a bioterrorist attack; number two, established preparedness--make sure we appropriate stockpiling, make sure we support public health infrastructure which has really deteriorated over the last 15 years; and lastly what we call consequence management--have first responders out there that are not firemen, that are not policemen--because bioterrorism is very different--but rather are doctors, nurses, physicians, the sort of people who recognize what that rash is.
ZAHN: Alright, let's come back to the second point you made, which is, in your words, establishing preparedness. What is the state of our public health system's ability to deal with a potential attack today?
SEN. FRIST: Well, it is very poor--and I say that, and our federal government has made great efforts, and actually is doing much better at the federal level in terms of having these push packages that get out in the field so you don't need to go out and buy Sipro because we can get it to you in a quick--a very quick time--12 to 24 hours.
But what happens in that first 12 to 24 hours when people are rushing to emergency rooms? Do our clinics have what's called a surge capacity to treat people who may or may not have been exposed but there may be massive panic? Right now, if we look at public health systems and we look at public health facilities in towns or regions of less than 25,000 people serving, that that clinic serves--more than 30 percent don't even have fax machines today--or don't have internet capability.
Basic medical surveillance is totally inadequate. And that's where we need continue to invest--to reduce that vulnerability which is out there today.
ZAHN: But is it also true--because you know we are all reading this in the papers--that the doctors in the United States are very poorly trained to even recognize the symptoms of a biological attack. Is that true?
SEN. FRIST: Well it is--
ZAHN: Would you go that far this morning?
SEN. FRIST: Well it is true. As you mentioned I practiced medicine for 20 years, and I have never seen a case of small pox and I worked as a trauma surgeon, I worked in emergency rooms, I took care of immunocompromised hosts. I've never seen small pox, the rash, the pestules. We need to train our front line first responders what to recognize in terms of flu-like syndrome. Is it anthrax exposure, is it the plague, is it tularemia, is it a nerve gas or blister response.
So, yes, we need to train them front line. There hasn't been a case of small pox since 1978. People who are vaccinated back before 1972--and that's when we last started vaccinating--none of those vaccines carry immunity today. That's the sort of information--in detection, in recognition and response--at the local level, not at federal level but at the local level--that we need to be supporting.
ZAHN: Senator, though, in all reality, is the one billion dollars you're asking for enough to do everything that you have outlined for us this morning? Are we talking about expenditures much more than that down the road?
SEN. FRIST: Well, I think we have to be careful in how we invest because you can't just throw money at the problem. We passed a bill that I and Senator Kennedy wrote last year-- called The Public Health Threats and Emergencies Act of the Year 2000--what we are going to be asking for is full funding of that particular bill, that looks at prevention and preparedness and consequence mitigation and that's the first start. The good news about this money it is not just spent to fight terrorism but by strengthening public health system, we improve our ability to fight other infectious diseases--HIV, AIDS, the flu- like syndromes--by addressing surge capacity, we have everybody be prepared for whatever type of potential attack it might be. So its dual use of investment of spending. ZAHN: All right, I need a real brief finish to this. People listening to your interview today will probably impressed with the government is trying to do. In the meantime, what is your recommendations to the average American family that is absolutely freaked out by all this?
SEN. FRIST: I would encourage their local officials, to establish a medical response team to a potential bioterrorist attack. Right now, only one out of five hospitals have such a bioterrorism attack response in place. I would get involved with local level, not go out and buy antibiotics or gas masks at this point in time.
ZAHN: Alright, Senator Frist, good have you with us thank you very much.
SEN. FRIST: Thank you.
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