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CDC: No SARS Quarantines in U.S. Yet

Aired April 02, 2003 - 13:56   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.


WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Amidst all of this war in Iraq, there's an important other story, a medical story, that we're following, namely, this medical mystery, involving this SARS illness. Our medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen wants to fill us in now on what's happening today. A lot of our viewers are interested in this, Elizabeth. What is the latest?
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well the latest here from the Centers for Disease Control is that there was just a briefing by Director Dr. Julie Gerberding and she wanted to tell people that there has been no quarantines in the United States. Lots of concern over the use of this word quarantine, lots of fear in the United States. She said there have been quarantines in places like Canada and in some Asian countries where they've taken big groups of healthy people and said please, stay at home, don't leave your houses because we are afraid that you might possibly have SARS.

That has not happened here in the U.S. Some sick patients have been isolated. In other words, they'll take a patient who they think has SARS and is sick and say, stay in your hospital room, we're putting you in your own hospital room or stay at home, please don't leave the house. So that has happened in the United States. She gave an updated number.

Eighty-five cases in the United States in 27 states. New York and California have more cases than the other states do and it's very interesting. Out of those 85 cases, 85 people who are ill with SARS, 78 of them traveled to another country, and then when they came back to the U.S., they gave it to seven other people. That is not a widespread spread, as we've seen in other countries - Wolf.

BLITZER: Elizabeth Cohen, with the latest on that SARS.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com






Aired April 2, 2003 - 13:56   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Amidst all of this war in Iraq, there's an important other story, a medical story, that we're following, namely, this medical mystery, involving this SARS illness. Our medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen wants to fill us in now on what's happening today. A lot of our viewers are interested in this, Elizabeth. What is the latest?
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well the latest here from the Centers for Disease Control is that there was just a briefing by Director Dr. Julie Gerberding and she wanted to tell people that there has been no quarantines in the United States. Lots of concern over the use of this word quarantine, lots of fear in the United States. She said there have been quarantines in places like Canada and in some Asian countries where they've taken big groups of healthy people and said please, stay at home, don't leave your houses because we are afraid that you might possibly have SARS.

That has not happened here in the U.S. Some sick patients have been isolated. In other words, they'll take a patient who they think has SARS and is sick and say, stay in your hospital room, we're putting you in your own hospital room or stay at home, please don't leave the house. So that has happened in the United States. She gave an updated number.

Eighty-five cases in the United States in 27 states. New York and California have more cases than the other states do and it's very interesting. Out of those 85 cases, 85 people who are ill with SARS, 78 of them traveled to another country, and then when they came back to the U.S., they gave it to seven other people. That is not a widespread spread, as we've seen in other countries - Wolf.

BLITZER: Elizabeth Cohen, with the latest on that SARS.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com