Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Saturday Morning News

How Concerned Should Americans be About Bioterrorism?

Aired October 20, 2001 - 09:44   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.
MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN ANCHOR: It seems that each day we learn of someone, somewhere, who fears that they've been exposed to anthrax. A handful of tests have come back positive, but most do not.

It's understandable that people are scared, but we also want to make sure that we can draw the line. We go to our bioterrorism analyst, Javed Ali, for the answers.

Good morning again.

JAVED ALI, CNN BIOTERRORISM ANALYST: Good morning, Martin.

SAVIDGE: Give us perspective here. How frightened, concerned, should people be, given what we know?

ALI: Obviously these cases have been cause for concern in the sense that we haven't had to deal with the intentional use of the disease as a weapon in this country, at least to the great extent of the public's awareness. But the -- I don't think, on the other hand, there should be an overreaction, in the sense that people shouldn't be afraid of the fact that they may be exposed to anthrax today, tomorrow, at any point in the future.

These cases we've seen, while they are alarming in the sense of they're cases, do not suggest a wide pattern of exposure.

SAVIDGE: And from what we know of the anthrax involved so far, not particularly lethal either.

ALI: Well, pulmonary -- or contracting the disease in the pulmonary form could be the most lethal. But the way in which the material appears to be delivered through the mail, through letters, through packages, suggests that the goal of these incidents is not -- are not designed to create mass casualties or to infect people through an aerosol exposure of anthrax but to create mass panic or mass anxiety or mass fear.

SAVIDGE: And what could the average person do, aside from, say, buying a gas mask or a Hazmat suit? Is there anything precautionary- wise that they can do, whether it be washing their hands?

ALI: Well, I don't even think that -- or I don't think it's appropriate or it may even be a prudent step for people to buy gas masks or hazardous materials protective clothing because for the most part, if they are exposed to the disease, they won't have that equipment with them at the time. So unless you're wearing it all the time, it's not going to really do any good.

And I think it would just add to that general sense of anxiety that a lot of people feel. So in terms of general precautions, I think the best thing people can do is just be aware of anything that looks or seems suspicious around them, and right now, one of those ways to avoid coming in contact with something that might be suspicious is a suspicious piece of letter or mail that you don't know, you know, the return address or who the source is from, and just sort of if you do come into contact with something like that, leave it alone, notify the authorities, and I think that is probably the best step that people could take right now.

SAVIDGE: But is there something physically you could do? Say you did open a letter. Say there was some powder. You are concerned. You do notify the authorities. But in the time you wait for them to arrive, are there any do's and don'ts?

ALI: The best thing and the most effective thing you can do is just to wash your hands, basically with soap and hot, hot water and soap. As long as you don't have any open abrasions or cuts on any part of your body that came into contact with the powder, you should be fine.

SAVIDGE: And as far as those gas masks and the precautions of Cipro that people seem to be storing up on, you mentioned the gas mask, you're probably not going to have it when you need it most. What do you say to people, though, that want to have this Cipro around? Is it really so bad just to have?

ALI: Well, I don't think, again, it's a prudent measure for people to take whether it's ciprofloxacin or any other antibiotic that could be used to treat the anthrax disease, because if these people start taking the antibiotics before they are exposed, they could actually create a resistance to other types of organisms that they may come into contact with.

They could actually, by buying stockpiles of that particular antibiotic, they could take it off the market to where people would actually need it in other circumstances. And there's just a general sort of uncertainty with respect to taking any pharmaceutical that you don't really have that particular disease for.

So I don't think that is a particularly wise course of action right now.

SAVIDGE: Javed Ali, I know this is not going to be the last time we talk on this subject, but each time we do, it helps to alleviate some fear out there. Thank you very much for joining us.

ALI: 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