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CNN Saturday Morning News

Interview with Calvin Johnson

Aired November 15, 2003 - 07:32   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: Another death has been linked to the Hepatitis A outbreak in western Pennsylvania. Now, three deaths and nearly 500 cases have been traced back to problems at a Mexican restaurant near Pittsburgh. The focus of the investigation has centered on mishandling produce or, more specifically, green onions used at the restaurant. It is the largest known outbreak of Hepatitis A in U.S. history.
But just how could the hepatitis virus have been spread to so many people and can it be contained?

Joining us with the very latest information on all of this is Pennsylvania's state health secretary, Dr. Calvin Johnson.

Dr. Johnson, thanks for being with us this morning.

DR. CALVIN JOHNSON, SECRETARY OF HEALTH, PENNSYLVANIA: Good morning.

Thank you.

COLLINS: Can you please just assess the situation for us at this time as you know it?

JOHNSON: Certainly. We have 490 confirmed cases of Hepatitis A, all of which link back to a single restaurant in that area and primarily to a time period early in October. We have had immunization -- or we've provided immunoglobulin inoculations to 9,000 people and have screened nearly 10,000 people for their need for that.

We have an ongoing investigation to identify the source right now. We are continuing to look at the possibility of the typical transmission of Hepatitis A, which is through an infected food service worker. We are also looking at foods as a possibility. We've not narrowed it down to any one particular food or group of foods at this point, but we are going through the menu, going through interviews with individuals and getting closer, I believe.

COLLINS: All right, so let me just clarify for a moment, if I could, doctor. Green onions, we've been told that we have a pretty good lead on green onions.

Not the case?

JOHNSON: Well, green onions were implicated in outbreaks of Hepatitis A in Georgia and in Tennessee earlier in this year. And so certainly green onions are one food item that we're looking at. But this restaurant had an extensive menu of items and it takes a little time to get through that information and assure that we are looking at the right food item or items and not going down the wrong path.

COLLINS: All right, let's get back to basics just for a moment, if we could. How do you know that you have it? How will you feel? And remind us, also, how it's transmitted in the first place.

JOHNSON: Certainly. Hepatitis A is a virus that's transmitted by person to person contact. And so it's not something you can get by just breathing the air with someone. It's much of a closer personal contact. The typical situation is a food service worker who has the virus and does not wash their hands appropriately and then has contact with food in either preparing or serving the food, and it's spread that way.

Symptoms of hepatitis include nausea, vomiting, fatigue, fever and jaundice, or a yellowing of the skin. And we're recommending that anyone who has any symptoms like this or similar to this contact their doctor right away.

COLLINS: And how much time can pass? I mean we were talking about October before you would notice symptoms. Wouldn't it be pretty quickly?

JOHNSON: Well, Hepatitis A actually has an extended inoculation or incubation period from anywhere from two weeks to 50 days or so. Usually it's about two to three weeks after exposure that you'll start experiencing symptoms. But it can be a shorter period or a longer period.

COLLINS: So how much concern is there, particularly on your part and the health industry's part that more cases will be found and that this will spread?

JOHNSON: Well, I think that we certainly expect to see more cases. And, in fact, some of the cases that we're seeing now, as the numbers go up, are confirmation cases, meaning that some of these people have been sick and recovered, but the laboratory testing is now confirming them. We're also getting to the point now in terms of that incubation period we talked about where we may start seeing secondary cases or people who were infected from people who were originally infected at the restaurant. We don't have any of those cases at this point, but this is the time period where we'd be looking at them.

Hepatitis A is typically a virus that is not fatal. You usually recover from it. The fact that there are deaths associated with this, we know that deaths can happen from it and certainly we're concerned and our hearts go out to those families that have lost loved ones in this event.

COLLINS: Of course they do.

Dr. Calvin Johnson, we appreciate your time this morning.

Thanks so very much.

JOHNSON: Thank you very much.

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 November 15, 2003 - 07:32   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Another death has been linked to the Hepatitis A outbreak in western Pennsylvania. Now, three deaths and nearly 500 cases have been traced back to problems at a Mexican restaurant near Pittsburgh. The focus of the investigation has centered on mishandling produce or, more specifically, green onions used at the restaurant. It is the largest known outbreak of Hepatitis A in U.S. history.
But just how could the hepatitis virus have been spread to so many people and can it be contained?

Joining us with the very latest information on all of this is Pennsylvania's state health secretary, Dr. Calvin Johnson.

Dr. Johnson, thanks for being with us this morning.

DR. CALVIN JOHNSON, SECRETARY OF HEALTH, PENNSYLVANIA: Good morning.

Thank you.

COLLINS: Can you please just assess the situation for us at this time as you know it?

JOHNSON: Certainly. We have 490 confirmed cases of Hepatitis A, all of which link back to a single restaurant in that area and primarily to a time period early in October. We have had immunization -- or we've provided immunoglobulin inoculations to 9,000 people and have screened nearly 10,000 people for their need for that.

We have an ongoing investigation to identify the source right now. We are continuing to look at the possibility of the typical transmission of Hepatitis A, which is through an infected food service worker. We are also looking at foods as a possibility. We've not narrowed it down to any one particular food or group of foods at this point, but we are going through the menu, going through interviews with individuals and getting closer, I believe.

COLLINS: All right, so let me just clarify for a moment, if I could, doctor. Green onions, we've been told that we have a pretty good lead on green onions.

Not the case?

JOHNSON: Well, green onions were implicated in outbreaks of Hepatitis A in Georgia and in Tennessee earlier in this year. And so certainly green onions are one food item that we're looking at. But this restaurant had an extensive menu of items and it takes a little time to get through that information and assure that we are looking at the right food item or items and not going down the wrong path.

COLLINS: All right, let's get back to basics just for a moment, if we could. How do you know that you have it? How will you feel? And remind us, also, how it's transmitted in the first place.

JOHNSON: Certainly. Hepatitis A is a virus that's transmitted by person to person contact. And so it's not something you can get by just breathing the air with someone. It's much of a closer personal contact. The typical situation is a food service worker who has the virus and does not wash their hands appropriately and then has contact with food in either preparing or serving the food, and it's spread that way.

Symptoms of hepatitis include nausea, vomiting, fatigue, fever and jaundice, or a yellowing of the skin. And we're recommending that anyone who has any symptoms like this or similar to this contact their doctor right away.

COLLINS: And how much time can pass? I mean we were talking about October before you would notice symptoms. Wouldn't it be pretty quickly?

JOHNSON: Well, Hepatitis A actually has an extended inoculation or incubation period from anywhere from two weeks to 50 days or so. Usually it's about two to three weeks after exposure that you'll start experiencing symptoms. But it can be a shorter period or a longer period.

COLLINS: So how much concern is there, particularly on your part and the health industry's part that more cases will be found and that this will spread?

JOHNSON: Well, I think that we certainly expect to see more cases. And, in fact, some of the cases that we're seeing now, as the numbers go up, are confirmation cases, meaning that some of these people have been sick and recovered, but the laboratory testing is now confirming them. We're also getting to the point now in terms of that incubation period we talked about where we may start seeing secondary cases or people who were infected from people who were originally infected at the restaurant. We don't have any of those cases at this point, but this is the time period where we'd be looking at them.

Hepatitis A is typically a virus that is not fatal. You usually recover from it. The fact that there are deaths associated with this, we know that deaths can happen from it and certainly we're concerned and our hearts go out to those families that have lost loved ones in this event.

COLLINS: Of course they do.

Dr. Calvin Johnson, we appreciate your time this morning.

Thanks so very much.

JOHNSON: Thank you very much.

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