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American Morning

Due to SARS Concerns, UC Berkeley Not Admitting Students From China, Taiwan, Hong Kong

Aired May 07, 2003 - 09:13   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.


BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Due to the concerns about SARS, the University of California Berkeley not admitting students from China, Taiwan and Hong Kong for the summer semester. On campus, reaction is mixed to that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TINA ZHANG, UC BERKELEY STUDENT: I can understand why they're doing it, but maybe it's not really necessary.

ANDREW CHOU, UC BERKELEY STUDENT: I don't particularly believe that it's bad. I mean, it's good to be safe, just because, you know, the epidemic is in those countries is strong.

XAVIER SERRATO, UC BERKELEY STUDENT: I feel until we really know what's going on with SARS and what it's really doing, as much as I would like for it not to happen, I feel, for now, it's kind of the most important thing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HEMMER: Cal-Berkeley officials say they will end the ban when the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lifts the travel advisories to the affected areas. Our guests in San Francisco here talk about Ling-Chi Wang, professor of Asian-American studies at Berkeley, and Dr. Tomas Aragon, with the University SARS task force.

Welcome to both of you here on AMERICAN MORNING.

Doctor, I want to begin with you -- does it seem a bit extreme right now, knowing that you have not had any cases at your campus pop up yet to take this action?

LING-CHI WANG, UC BERKELEY PROF.: I think it's a case of really untimely and overreacting, and almost look like it's a panicky kind of response, because every day there are thousands of people being flown into the United States from the affected regions, with of course some additional precautionary measure added. I think the university has ample time to allow students to come in and then to go through the quarantine period, and if they prove negative, they should be admitted.

HEMMER: Professor, I take it you're a doctor, too, because that was headed for the doctor at the university, Dr. Aragorn.

What about it, too extreme, or not? DR. TOMAS ARAGON, SARS TASK FORCE, UC BERKELEY: One major issue is that currently there is no testing for the SARS virus. The primary concern that the university has, our primary goal is to be able to accept all students from all areas. In order to do that, we need to be prepared to implement the CDC guidelines on how to handle students that are coming from SARS-affected areas that might come down with symptoms that are consistent with SARS.

HEMMER: Doctor, how do you defend the charge of discrimination?

ARAGON: No, we don't think it's discrimination at all. For us, it's primarily a public health issue, and being prepared to handle a large number of students that are coming from those areas, that even if a small percentage of them develop respiratory symptoms, we're going to have to isolate them, implement infection control, education. If we can't deal with the proper housing situation, they're going to have to be hospitalized. They're a lot of detailed issues that have to be worked out before we can accept that large number.

ARAGON: I understand your point, doctor.

What about it, Professor Wang, the school's trying to be preventive, they're trying to make sure it does not come to Berkeley, and if it did, they do not have measures to protect themselves or the other students?

LING-CHI WANG: You know, I fully understand that, and I think that has to be the highest priority for a university.

But on the other hand, I think that the you know, I think you know, we estimating about 500, 600 students that are coming to the summer session. In the summer session there are altogether five split over a three-month period. It's not all 500 arriving on the same time, on May 27th.

And under the existing guideline of CDC and also WHO, it's possible to screen these people and to make sure that they do not bring the disease onto the campus.

HEMMER: Professor, you mentioned the CDC -0- the head of that organization, Dr. Julie Gerberding, already says it supports right now the measures taken at Berkeley.

ARAGON: Yes, I think we're unique in that we really have a large number coming to one place in a short period of time. And it is true that we could dedicate our resources to trying to do a quarantine early on. But right now, we have a tremendous amount of work to do.

HEMMER: And, bottom line, you don't think it's an overreaction, despite the fact that your university is losing money, right, about $1.5 million this summer?

ARAGON: It' not an overreaction. Our primary goal is preparation. We're not prepared at this point. And it would be irresponsible for us to have a lot of students come when we're not prepared to handle them should any issues happen. HEMMER: All right, doctor, I want to thank you for that.

Professor, final comment quickly?

LING-CHI WANG: Yes, if we were to follow logic then we should really ban coming from Asia altogether.

HEMMER: There's the charge, doctor. Wish we had more time. Professor Ling-Chi Wang, Dr. Tomas Aragon, live in San Francisco.

A follow-up now, Dr. Sanjay Gupta has been looking into this issue as well.

Sanjay, good morning to you.

Is this a sense of paranoia we get as we look at SARS and continue to try to understand it?

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well I think it's a justifiable fear, Bill.

Certainly there's a lot for the CDC officials and the health community has learned about SARS, but still a lot to learn. Some good points being brought up, there is not a test for individuals yet. You and I have talked about treatments and vaccines, not there yet.

Remember, Bill, one person brought this particular epidemic to Toronto, one person. And I think that's sort of what the CDC guidelines are based on. There are good points on the other side of the issue as well, in terms of what kind of ban you put on all citizens coming from affected countries. Singapore is now off the list.

But other countries, do you ban all citizens coming from there? It's hard to say right now. Obviously, that's not happening. But for the University of California Berkeley, it has a large percentage of Asian students from these affected countries that do enroll in summer classes. They don't think that they're prepared to handle it. The preparation would involve essentially monitoring students for 10 days, 10 to 14 days ahead of time to see if they have any of the symptoms, and they don't think they're equipped to do that right now.

HEMMER: How much do you believe this is fear management?

GUPTA: Well, I think it is a considerable fear management here. And the likelihood statistically if you look at all the numbers, it's unlikely that anybody would actually get SARS, and certainly less likely that anyone would die from SARS at the University of California Berkeley. You're dealing with a young population for the most part, and the numbers are very, very, very small still.

But the flip side of it, Bill, is if you even get one case, if you even get one death, the fear is just going to spiral out of control at that point. So it's almost trying to build up a little bit of fear in the situation to try to avoid a lot of fear later on. I think it's sort of a little bit of a political and a medical issue there.

HEMMER: We'll see if there's a ripple effect from this, too, at Berkeley as well.

Sanjay, thanks. Talk to you later.

GUPTA: Thank you.

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





From China, Taiwan, Hong Kong>


Aired May 7, 2003 - 09:13   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Due to the concerns about SARS, the University of California Berkeley not admitting students from China, Taiwan and Hong Kong for the summer semester. On campus, reaction is mixed to that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TINA ZHANG, UC BERKELEY STUDENT: I can understand why they're doing it, but maybe it's not really necessary.

ANDREW CHOU, UC BERKELEY STUDENT: I don't particularly believe that it's bad. I mean, it's good to be safe, just because, you know, the epidemic is in those countries is strong.

XAVIER SERRATO, UC BERKELEY STUDENT: I feel until we really know what's going on with SARS and what it's really doing, as much as I would like for it not to happen, I feel, for now, it's kind of the most important thing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HEMMER: Cal-Berkeley officials say they will end the ban when the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lifts the travel advisories to the affected areas. Our guests in San Francisco here talk about Ling-Chi Wang, professor of Asian-American studies at Berkeley, and Dr. Tomas Aragon, with the University SARS task force.

Welcome to both of you here on AMERICAN MORNING.

Doctor, I want to begin with you -- does it seem a bit extreme right now, knowing that you have not had any cases at your campus pop up yet to take this action?

LING-CHI WANG, UC BERKELEY PROF.: I think it's a case of really untimely and overreacting, and almost look like it's a panicky kind of response, because every day there are thousands of people being flown into the United States from the affected regions, with of course some additional precautionary measure added. I think the university has ample time to allow students to come in and then to go through the quarantine period, and if they prove negative, they should be admitted.

HEMMER: Professor, I take it you're a doctor, too, because that was headed for the doctor at the university, Dr. Aragorn.

What about it, too extreme, or not? DR. TOMAS ARAGON, SARS TASK FORCE, UC BERKELEY: One major issue is that currently there is no testing for the SARS virus. The primary concern that the university has, our primary goal is to be able to accept all students from all areas. In order to do that, we need to be prepared to implement the CDC guidelines on how to handle students that are coming from SARS-affected areas that might come down with symptoms that are consistent with SARS.

HEMMER: Doctor, how do you defend the charge of discrimination?

ARAGON: No, we don't think it's discrimination at all. For us, it's primarily a public health issue, and being prepared to handle a large number of students that are coming from those areas, that even if a small percentage of them develop respiratory symptoms, we're going to have to isolate them, implement infection control, education. If we can't deal with the proper housing situation, they're going to have to be hospitalized. They're a lot of detailed issues that have to be worked out before we can accept that large number.

ARAGON: I understand your point, doctor.

What about it, Professor Wang, the school's trying to be preventive, they're trying to make sure it does not come to Berkeley, and if it did, they do not have measures to protect themselves or the other students?

LING-CHI WANG: You know, I fully understand that, and I think that has to be the highest priority for a university.

But on the other hand, I think that the you know, I think you know, we estimating about 500, 600 students that are coming to the summer session. In the summer session there are altogether five split over a three-month period. It's not all 500 arriving on the same time, on May 27th.

And under the existing guideline of CDC and also WHO, it's possible to screen these people and to make sure that they do not bring the disease onto the campus.

HEMMER: Professor, you mentioned the CDC -0- the head of that organization, Dr. Julie Gerberding, already says it supports right now the measures taken at Berkeley.

ARAGON: Yes, I think we're unique in that we really have a large number coming to one place in a short period of time. And it is true that we could dedicate our resources to trying to do a quarantine early on. But right now, we have a tremendous amount of work to do.

HEMMER: And, bottom line, you don't think it's an overreaction, despite the fact that your university is losing money, right, about $1.5 million this summer?

ARAGON: It' not an overreaction. Our primary goal is preparation. We're not prepared at this point. And it would be irresponsible for us to have a lot of students come when we're not prepared to handle them should any issues happen. HEMMER: All right, doctor, I want to thank you for that.

Professor, final comment quickly?

LING-CHI WANG: Yes, if we were to follow logic then we should really ban coming from Asia altogether.

HEMMER: There's the charge, doctor. Wish we had more time. Professor Ling-Chi Wang, Dr. Tomas Aragon, live in San Francisco.

A follow-up now, Dr. Sanjay Gupta has been looking into this issue as well.

Sanjay, good morning to you.

Is this a sense of paranoia we get as we look at SARS and continue to try to understand it?

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well I think it's a justifiable fear, Bill.

Certainly there's a lot for the CDC officials and the health community has learned about SARS, but still a lot to learn. Some good points being brought up, there is not a test for individuals yet. You and I have talked about treatments and vaccines, not there yet.

Remember, Bill, one person brought this particular epidemic to Toronto, one person. And I think that's sort of what the CDC guidelines are based on. There are good points on the other side of the issue as well, in terms of what kind of ban you put on all citizens coming from affected countries. Singapore is now off the list.

But other countries, do you ban all citizens coming from there? It's hard to say right now. Obviously, that's not happening. But for the University of California Berkeley, it has a large percentage of Asian students from these affected countries that do enroll in summer classes. They don't think that they're prepared to handle it. The preparation would involve essentially monitoring students for 10 days, 10 to 14 days ahead of time to see if they have any of the symptoms, and they don't think they're equipped to do that right now.

HEMMER: How much do you believe this is fear management?

GUPTA: Well, I think it is a considerable fear management here. And the likelihood statistically if you look at all the numbers, it's unlikely that anybody would actually get SARS, and certainly less likely that anyone would die from SARS at the University of California Berkeley. You're dealing with a young population for the most part, and the numbers are very, very, very small still.

But the flip side of it, Bill, is if you even get one case, if you even get one death, the fear is just going to spiral out of control at that point. So it's almost trying to build up a little bit of fear in the situation to try to avoid a lot of fear later on. I think it's sort of a little bit of a political and a medical issue there.

HEMMER: We'll see if there's a ripple effect from this, too, at Berkeley as well.

Sanjay, thanks. Talk to you later.

GUPTA: Thank you.

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





From China, Taiwan, Hong Kong>