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SARS SITUATION IMPROVES, EXCEPT IN CHINA
Aired April 28, 2003 - 14:19 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.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: The World Health Organization says the worst may be over. The SARS outbreak has apparently peaked in Hong Kong, Singapore and Canada.
And Vietnam has been given a clean bill of health. It's hailed as the first country to contain Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome. Officials credit quick action by Vietnam's government.
Meanwhile, Dr. Julie Gerberding, head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is heading to Toronto to meet with Canadian authorities. Canada is the only country outside Asia where people have died of SARS.
The only country not emerging from the SARS epidemic is China. World Health Organization officials say the outbreak there is getting worse. They are demanding Beijing be more open about the health crisis. CNN's Beijing bureau chief, Jaime FlorCruz, reports from the Chinese capital.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JAIME FLORCRUZ, CNN BUREAU CHIEF, BEIJING (voice-over): Another ambulance streaming into a Beijing hospital designated for SARS treatment -- a sight becoming all too common in the Chinese capital. Responding to the emergency, China is taking draconian measures. Hospitals, college dormitories, and a construction site have been closed for mass quarantine. Thousands of cinemas, karaoke bars, and other entertainment venues have also been closed.
ALAN SCHNUR, WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION: The SARS virus spreads so easily, you have to be 300% ready. So I think to go a bit beyond what one thinks is necessary for SARS is not a bad thing.
FLORCRUZ: Still, Beijing's airport and train stations are jammed with fleeing migrant workers, students, and tourists -- despite attempts to restrict travel. Some areas have set up roadblocks to screen travelers coming in. Inside the city, passengers of public transport have dropped off by half.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): We should just try our best to protect ourselves. I think the government will find a solution soon, so we don't have to overreact worrying about this.
FLORCRUZ: In city streets, traffic has been unusually light as more people stay in. Business establishments hung signs of temporary closures. Beijing is preparing for the worst. In the suburbs, a new quarantine area is being finished to accommodate more than 1,000 SARS patients. But experts say they have little idea of when or where the city's SARS cases are occurring.
SCHNUR: We need now to have the disease data to evaluate what the effect of these measures so we can modify them or continue them as required.
FLORCRUZ: Lack of information they say, may be prompting panic.
(on camera) After months of foot-dragging and coverups, China is now reporting SARS cases more openly. But unless they share all the crucial data with the outside world, SARS will continue to spread while tourists and residents continue to leave.
Jaime Florcruz, CNN, Beijing.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
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 28, 2003 - 14:19 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: The World Health Organization says the worst may be over. The SARS outbreak has apparently peaked in Hong Kong, Singapore and Canada.
And Vietnam has been given a clean bill of health. It's hailed as the first country to contain Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome. Officials credit quick action by Vietnam's government.
Meanwhile, Dr. Julie Gerberding, head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is heading to Toronto to meet with Canadian authorities. Canada is the only country outside Asia where people have died of SARS.
The only country not emerging from the SARS epidemic is China. World Health Organization officials say the outbreak there is getting worse. They are demanding Beijing be more open about the health crisis. CNN's Beijing bureau chief, Jaime FlorCruz, reports from the Chinese capital.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JAIME FLORCRUZ, CNN BUREAU CHIEF, BEIJING (voice-over): Another ambulance streaming into a Beijing hospital designated for SARS treatment -- a sight becoming all too common in the Chinese capital. Responding to the emergency, China is taking draconian measures. Hospitals, college dormitories, and a construction site have been closed for mass quarantine. Thousands of cinemas, karaoke bars, and other entertainment venues have also been closed.
ALAN SCHNUR, WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION: The SARS virus spreads so easily, you have to be 300% ready. So I think to go a bit beyond what one thinks is necessary for SARS is not a bad thing.
FLORCRUZ: Still, Beijing's airport and train stations are jammed with fleeing migrant workers, students, and tourists -- despite attempts to restrict travel. Some areas have set up roadblocks to screen travelers coming in. Inside the city, passengers of public transport have dropped off by half.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): We should just try our best to protect ourselves. I think the government will find a solution soon, so we don't have to overreact worrying about this.
FLORCRUZ: In city streets, traffic has been unusually light as more people stay in. Business establishments hung signs of temporary closures. Beijing is preparing for the worst. In the suburbs, a new quarantine area is being finished to accommodate more than 1,000 SARS patients. But experts say they have little idea of when or where the city's SARS cases are occurring.
SCHNUR: We need now to have the disease data to evaluate what the effect of these measures so we can modify them or continue them as required.
FLORCRUZ: Lack of information they say, may be prompting panic.
(on camera) After months of foot-dragging and coverups, China is now reporting SARS cases more openly. But unless they share all the crucial data with the outside world, SARS will continue to spread while tourists and residents continue to leave.
Jaime Florcruz, CNN, Beijing.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
