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CNN Live At Daybreak
Anthrax Case Not Related To Terrorism
Aired October 05, 2001 - 07:32 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: even though health officials are trying to calm fears on the heels of the anthrax case, people obviously are still edgy.
And joining me now from Florida is Dr. Steven Wiersma, who is with the Florida Department of Health. Welcome. Good to have you with us, sir.
DR. STEVEN WIERSMA, EPIDEMIOLOGIST, FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH: Good morning.
ZAHN: How serious is this one confirmed case in Florida?
WIERSMA: Well, anthrax is a very rare disease and we treat every one as a very important event. And really the system is working the way it should be. The staff at JFK Hospital notified us immediately of this case and we were able to respond right away yesterday.
ZAHN: Are you able to make any decisions right now as to how you think this man contracted anthrax?
WIERSMA: No. We're really keeping an open mind. We have very intensive investigations that have been going on into the late hours last night and will continue first thing this morning. We have very good cooperation from the Palm Beach County Health Department and the Centers for Disease Control. We've asked for their assistance as well to support the state Department of Health's efforts in this investigation.
ZAHN: I don't know whether you saw the "Miami Herald" or not this morning, but buried in a piece it suggests that this patient lived within a mile of the airport where suspect hijacker Mohamed Atta rented a plane on four separate occasions and also points out that this man lived less than 10 miles from where several of the hijackers lived. Do you give that any credence? Does that mean anything?
WIERSMA: We are looking at every possibility and every lead. Unfortunately, this disease has quite a long incubation period so we have to really look quite a ways back in his past as well as recent events to try to determine where he may have contracted it. And like I said, we have a very well coordinated team that's out in the field today following up on leads.
ZAHN: Walk us through the steps of how this disease can be picked up and how it can be spread.
WIERSMA: Well, there are three different forms of anthrax, cutaneous anthrax, gastrointestinal anthrax and inhalational anthrax. We believe this represents the latter, inhalational, which an extremely rare form and is worrisome because of the high mortality associated with it.
ZAHN: And how concerned should Florida residents be about what appears to be an isolated case?
WIERSMA: Well, we believe it's good news. We have been following up leads, like I said last night. We have found no additional cases. This is not transmissible from this individual to any other people in the state of Florida. So I think, you know, we're always on the look out. This should be reassuring that the system is working. We are picking up these events and following up rapidly. That's where we want to be in these investigations.
ZAHN: You said this should be reassuring to Floridians, but is it? Or are people still nervous?
WIERSMA: I'm sure people are nervous. It's a very rare condition. But again, we're happy that it was detected. Detection is the key to responding to events, whether they are intentional or naturally occurring, and that's what the health department is all about.
ZAHN: What are the most obvious signs of an anthrax infection?
WIERSMA: Well, again, because of the different forms it can be manifested in different ways. But usually it starts out with some flu-like symptoms but rapidly progresses into something beyond that. Meningitis or pneumonia are common complicating diseases.
ZAHN: And a final question for you now, sir. How do you think this patient is doing this morning?
WIERSMA: Well, he's still in grave condition. The hospital will be providing regular updates on his situation.
ZAHN: And when you say grave condition, you did point out at the top of the interview, in most cases with this type of anthrax infection, is it fatal?
WIERSMA: Fatality is extremely high for this disease, unfortunately, and this is a very tragic case.
ZAHN: All right, Dr. Wiersma, thank you for trying to bring all these details together this morning as people are trying to thread a lot of different pieces of information together. Appreciate your time, sir.
WIERSMA: Sure. OK, thanks.
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