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CNN Saturday Morning News

Bioterrorism Causes Unique Problems

Aired October 20, 2001 - 08:25   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: We want to return now to the anthrax investigation as it unfolds. There are now a total of eight confirmed cases. Americans remain very concerned about this once obscure disease.

Joining us to talk about anthrax is CNN bioterrorism analyst Javed Ali. Thank you very much for joining us this morning.

JAVED ALI, CNN BIOTERRORISM ANALYST: Thank you for having me.

SAVIDGE: What do you make of the mail being used as the means of delivering this kind of weapon, if that's what it is?

ALI: It is rather unusual, because there are sort of different dynamics at play here, or there appear to be different dynamics. On the one hand, like you said, Martin, the use of the mail as the delivery method is sort of strange given the fact that the material, the powdered material that the disease appears to be contained within right now is more sophisticated than anything we've, or that has been experienced in the terrorism world before. So that's sort of, there's a significant difference there.

And on top of that, the fact that all these incidents appear to be designed to cause mass panic or disruption or anxiety; they don't appear to be generated for creating mass casualties.

SAVIDGE: Obviously, and that does seem to be the case with, fortunately, the number of casualties extremely low. But the mail is such an innocent object, obviously. It's something everyone receives. It's something that most people don't consider as a weapon, even though it has been used for bombs in the past. It is creating that sense of unease for everyone that walks to collect a letter.

ALI: And that may be part of the psychology or the motivation behind these incidents. I mean it's hard to say because we don't know who the perpetrator or perpetrators are. But just looking at the psychological component of it, once could make that argument that that would potentially be one of those objectives.

SAVIDGE: The strain of anthrax that's being used here has been described as a non-military form. Explain what that means and what is the significance of that?

ALI: I think what that, if this is, indeed, true, what that means is that the strain or the bacteria that has been found in at least three of the different samples or three of the different cases indicates that there hasn't been a greater attempt to make the material easier to deliver or -- so it hasn't been concentrated to a greater degree. It hasn't, the organism itself hasn't been manipulated genetically or otherwise to ensure that it's resistant to antibiotics or they could be resistant to other environmental stresses.

So there are things that could be done further to the organism beyond how it just exists in its natural state that would suggest potential attempts to make this into an actual weapon.

SAVIDGE: And does that suggest a lack of sophistication?

ALI: Not necessarily. I mean whoever was the perpetrator or perpetrators behind this incident have already just the fact that they've actually managed to manufacture a powdered form of this disease, that is significant because no one in the terrorism world, if this is, indeed, terrorism, has ever done that before. So they're sophisticated at least to a certain extent.

SAVIDGE: All right, CNN bioterrorism analyst, Javed Ali. Thank you again for being with us this morning.

ALI: Thank you.

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