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American Morning

Flu Outbreak

Aired December 12, 2003 - 09:04   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: Now the flu outbreak is responsible for the deaths of at least 20 children nationwide. Dr. Peter Gross, a flu expert from the Hackensack University Medical Center, New Jersey with us now here on AMERICAN MORNING.
Nice to see you, doctor. Good morning to you.

DR. PETER GROSS, FLU EXPERT: Good morning, Bill.

HEMMER: Do you call this an epidemic right now or not, Is that fair?

GROSS: You know, it's really the exact terms. I think the CDC is calling it an outbreak. About at least three weeks into an outbreak is when deaths occur in the elderly, and at that point, they'd probably call it an epidemic.

HEMMER: Some are saying it's leveling off in certain parts of the country. Is that what you've heard, also?

GROSS: The way the flu works, it hits different parts of the country differently. So while it may be leveling off in one part of the country, it will begin to hit another part.

HEMMER: So you're not suggesting in any way that the country's out of the woods right now, or these 24 states being affected?

GROSS: I don't believe it is.

HEMMER: Why is it that this is hitting earlier than normal?

GROSS: OK, influenza can begin as early as November, and it can start as late as February or March. It varies from year to year. One of the frustrating things about influenza is that it is not predictable. That's a problem. So when it begins in a particular geographic area, it takes about six weeks to go through that area. So the country gets -- different parts of the country get hit at different times.

HEMMER: Annually, we're told 36,000 Americans die from flu complications every year. Critical question here, if you got the flu, how do you know when it's bad enough to go to a hospital to seek a real doctor's help?

GROSS: Yes, I think if you have a very high fever, up to 104. If you have a chronic disease, let's say heart or lung disease, you probably should see your doctor. And let the doctor make the decision as to when you should go to the hospital. Unless you're very, very sick, it's the worst illness you've ever had.

HEMMER: Help make sense of this, then. If you're talking about young babies and also the elderly as being the most vulnerable, what explains an 18-year-old college student in Massachusetts dying this past week?

GROSS: Bill, that's a real good question. I don't know what the background is on the 18-year-old. He may have had some kind of compromise in his immune system. Hard to say. But all I can say is that it's definitely unusual.

HEMMER: The vaccine itself. How effective?

GROSS: The vaccine...

HEMMER: Completely, 100 percent or not?

GROSS: Definitely not. A measles vaccine is like 95 percent effective. Tetanus is very good. Influenza vaccine is 70 percent to 90 percent effective. So some cases may still break through.

HEMMER: So it's a net, but not a complete shield?

GROSS: Exactly.

HEMMER: The epidemic, you say it comes every two to three years. If we're in that epidemic stage right now, as defined in different ways by different people, did you see a similar sight like this two or three years ago?

GROSS: Yes, the -- it can vary. We have seen this a couple years ago. And when it occurs, we get about 20,000 to 40,000 deaths. It's a very serious thing. People in general, I think, because it occurs so often, don't take it that seriously.

HEMMER: And as you say, the biggest season is really going to hit in January and February, so we will hang on for that.

GROSS: Yes.

HEMMER: Doctor, thanks. Good to see you. Dr. Peter gross from Hackensack.

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 December 12, 2003 - 09:04   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Now the flu outbreak is responsible for the deaths of at least 20 children nationwide. Dr. Peter Gross, a flu expert from the Hackensack University Medical Center, New Jersey with us now here on AMERICAN MORNING.
Nice to see you, doctor. Good morning to you.

DR. PETER GROSS, FLU EXPERT: Good morning, Bill.

HEMMER: Do you call this an epidemic right now or not, Is that fair?

GROSS: You know, it's really the exact terms. I think the CDC is calling it an outbreak. About at least three weeks into an outbreak is when deaths occur in the elderly, and at that point, they'd probably call it an epidemic.

HEMMER: Some are saying it's leveling off in certain parts of the country. Is that what you've heard, also?

GROSS: The way the flu works, it hits different parts of the country differently. So while it may be leveling off in one part of the country, it will begin to hit another part.

HEMMER: So you're not suggesting in any way that the country's out of the woods right now, or these 24 states being affected?

GROSS: I don't believe it is.

HEMMER: Why is it that this is hitting earlier than normal?

GROSS: OK, influenza can begin as early as November, and it can start as late as February or March. It varies from year to year. One of the frustrating things about influenza is that it is not predictable. That's a problem. So when it begins in a particular geographic area, it takes about six weeks to go through that area. So the country gets -- different parts of the country get hit at different times.

HEMMER: Annually, we're told 36,000 Americans die from flu complications every year. Critical question here, if you got the flu, how do you know when it's bad enough to go to a hospital to seek a real doctor's help?

GROSS: Yes, I think if you have a very high fever, up to 104. If you have a chronic disease, let's say heart or lung disease, you probably should see your doctor. And let the doctor make the decision as to when you should go to the hospital. Unless you're very, very sick, it's the worst illness you've ever had.

HEMMER: Help make sense of this, then. If you're talking about young babies and also the elderly as being the most vulnerable, what explains an 18-year-old college student in Massachusetts dying this past week?

GROSS: Bill, that's a real good question. I don't know what the background is on the 18-year-old. He may have had some kind of compromise in his immune system. Hard to say. But all I can say is that it's definitely unusual.

HEMMER: The vaccine itself. How effective?

GROSS: The vaccine...

HEMMER: Completely, 100 percent or not?

GROSS: Definitely not. A measles vaccine is like 95 percent effective. Tetanus is very good. Influenza vaccine is 70 percent to 90 percent effective. So some cases may still break through.

HEMMER: So it's a net, but not a complete shield?

GROSS: Exactly.

HEMMER: The epidemic, you say it comes every two to three years. If we're in that epidemic stage right now, as defined in different ways by different people, did you see a similar sight like this two or three years ago?

GROSS: Yes, the -- it can vary. We have seen this a couple years ago. And when it occurs, we get about 20,000 to 40,000 deaths. It's a very serious thing. People in general, I think, because it occurs so often, don't take it that seriously.

HEMMER: And as you say, the biggest season is really going to hit in January and February, so we will hang on for that.

GROSS: Yes.

HEMMER: Doctor, thanks. Good to see you. Dr. Peter gross from Hackensack.

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