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CNN Live At Daybreak

Due to Anthrax Scares, Patients May be Taking Antibiotics for Flu

Aired October 30, 2001 - 05:25   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.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: And now to the other fear concerning anthrax. We're talking about anthrax and the flu this morning. The symptoms appear similar at first, then anthrax takes on an identity all its own. In past years, doctors haven't typically prescribed antibiotics for the flu since it's a virus.

But as our medical correspondent Rea Blakey tells us, this year patients may be taking those antibiotics anyway.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

REA BLAKEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The early symptoms of inhalation anthrax and the flu are almost identical -- malaise, generally feeling wiped out, fever, headache and muscle aches and pains. But it's important to distinguish, because from there inhalation anthrax progresses rapidly.

DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH: What happens with anthrax is it then very quickly goes into a highly accelerated form of respiratory failure, total body organ system failure.

BLAKEY: Antibiotics don't work for the flu, but they're essential for inhalation anthrax. And once the flu season progresses, it's the doctors on the front line who will be deciding who needs those antibiotics.

DR. JEFF DUBIN, WASHINGTON HOSPITAL CENTER: By the time December and January roll around, there's going to be an awful lot of patients coming in with flu type symptoms and at that point if, you know, if there's not a handle on this it's going to be very difficult to figure out who has anthrax and who doesn't.

BLAKEY: That's because there's no easy test. It takes a variety of tools for doctors to accurately distinguish between anthrax and the flu. The key is whether someone could have been exposed to the bacteria.

FAUCI: Probably the best way before you even get into lining up the symptoms of one and comparing it with the symptoms of another is to look at the setting in which this occurs.

BLAKEY: But that's the problem. People aren't always sure whether where they live or work could be a target for anthrax. So since it's otherwise hard to tell, it's likely doctors will err on the side of caution this year and counter years of warnings about overuse of antibiotics.

FAUCI: People probably will be giving more antibiotics than they normally would because patients are going to almost demand it and physicians, some physicians might just give in to the pressure of that.

BLAKEY: But would it be the pressure of a 60 day course? Not likely. The presence of anthrax bacteria can be confirmed in a blood test in about a week.

There is a rapid flu test that can be used as one part of the overall evaluation but other infections have flu-like symptoms and getting the flu shot alone is not enough to avoid getting the flu. While useful, it's only considered about 80 percent effective.

Rea Blakey, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: And when our coverage of America's war against terrorism continues, we'll look at the New Jersey connection.

LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: That's right, how the Garden State served as a staging ground for the terrorists.

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