Return to Transcripts main page
CNN 10
Growing Concerns Over a Rare Mosquito Virus in Communities in the U.S. Northeast; Residents in Southern California Dealing With Landslides Since the 1950s are Bracing For More; Boeing`s Starliner Lands Successfully, No Crew On Board. Aired 4-4:10a ET
Aired September 09, 2024 - 04:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
COY WIRE, CNN 10 ANCHOR: Hello, sunshine. I`m Coy Wire, ready to start another week with you covering the news, so we can stay informed on what`s
happening in the world in 10 minutes time right here on CNN 10.
We`re going to start today in communities in the Northeast United States, where mosquitoes aren`t just being your typical summertime nuisance.
They`re causing rare and sometimes deadly viruses to spread.
Now, over the last several weeks, more people have become hospitalized by mosquito-borne viruses like West Nile and Eastern Equine Encephalitis, or
EEE. One person has even died from the illness coming from these infections.
So when infected mosquitoes bite humans and pass along viruses like EEE, the first symptoms can be things like sudden headaches, high fever, chills,
and vomiting. Severe cases, though rare, can cause seizures and comas.
This year, the CDC has identified six cases of EEE in five states, Massachusetts, Wisconsin, New Jersey, Vermont, and New Hampshire. Since the
mosquitoes that spread EEE are most active at dusk and dawn, communities have begun voluntary curfews to protect residents.
Recreational and sport fields were closed at these times, and activities were rescheduled or moved indoors. Fortunately, many types of mosquito-
borne illnesses don`t regularly occur in the U.S., but scientists think that may be changing over time because of the climate change.
Human activity has led to an increase in mosquito and tick-borne infections over the past decade. The most common mosquito-borne infection in the U.S.
is West Nile virus, but we`re seeing cases of EEE, Dengue, and other viruses rise locally. While states in the Northeast and Upper Midwest are
experiencing this the most, malaria and Dengue have also been detected in Texas and Florida.
Right now, there are not widely available vaccines to prevent these mosquito-borne infections, so the best prevention is to not get bitten.
CNN`s Dr. Sanjay Gupta explains and gets into some viewer questions.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: With some communities across the country now on high alert because of these reports of several
mosquito-borne illnesses like EEE and West Nile virus, we decided to ask all of you, our audience, what questions they had about mosquitoes. And
many of you had questions. Like John in San Francisco who wrote this, "I`m a mosquito magnet. In a group of friends, I`ll get dozens of bites, my
friends only one or two apiece. I`ve used mosquito repellents, but they only help a little bit. Is there anything I can do besides stay indoors?"
Well, John, you know, why some of us are bitten more than others is an age- old question. What we`re learning, it probably has a lot to do with your odor, and that doesn`t mean necessarily bad odor, but rather a distinctive
odor for a mosquito because of the chemicals they can sense. And candidly, there`s not much you can do about that.
But for everyone else, including you, keep in mind that mosquitoes are attracted to the carbon dioxide we breathe out. We sort of get this carbon
dioxide bubble. So when you`re breathing hard, for example, you`re going to be more likely to attract mosquitoes.
Having a little fan to blow the CO2 away, that can help. There`s also some science that shows mosquitoes actually like darker colors, particularly
reds and oranges. So you may want to avoid those colors.
Remember that mosquitoes really don`t like the sun, so they`re going to come out at dusk and dawn. If you do go out, use an insect spray with the
ingredients DEET or picaridin. Hope that helps, John.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WIRE: In coastal Southern California, residents in an affluent community are dealing with devastating landslides that are threatening their homes.
30 miles south of Los Angeles, Rancho Palos Verdes has seen active but slow-moving landslides since the 1950s, but they`ve recently sped up,
partly thanks to record amounts of rain in Southern California over the last two years.
Now, as roads buckle and homes lie partially swallowed by the ground, scientists warn landslides are set to become more frequent as the climate
fuels heavier rainfall and more powerful storms.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It`s as if the earth is wiping away what`s been built upon it.
TIM STEWART, RESIDENT: I`m no geologist, but when you see the road turning into a roller coaster, you know something`s wrong.
ELAM: Here in Rancho Palos Verdes, an affluent community coveted for its expansive Pacific Ocean vistas, the land is sliding dangerously.
BABARA FERRARO, RESIDENT: This is unprecedented. No one knows really in a way what to do.
ELAM: While the land has always slowly shifted here, local leaders say it`s accelerated tremendously.
GREG MONTGOMERY, RESIDENT: Unbelievable, in the last four months, it`s constant. I mean, it`s just -- what do you do? We`re sitting here on a keg
of dynamite and we can`t go repair anything because the ground continues to move.
ELAM: So much so, some residents had their natural gas service discontinued in July, with more shutoffs recently added. Then, in the last week, more
than 200 homes had their power cut indefinitely as the shifting ground threatens utility lines.
LARRY CHUNG, SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA EDISON: On August 29th, the fire that occurred near Narcissa Drive, the land movement caused a power line to fall
to the ground and ignite a small fire.
ELAM: That fire was quickly extinguished, officials say, but the incident exposed the threat posed to basic infrastructure, including water and sewer
lines.
MICHAEL CHEE, PIO FOR LA COUNTY SANITATION DISTRICTS: We are dealing with incomprehensible amounts of earth with unimaginable movement, pulling our
infrastructure in ways that it is not designed or intended to move or resist this level of dynamic activity.
ELAM: Allowing officials to funnel resources toward the emergency response, Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency in the city this week,
noting the land movement accelerated significantly following the 2023 and `24 severe storm events, with the land now sliding at an average of nine to
12 inches per week.
JANICE HAHN, LA COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS: I think we`re all learning that there is no playbook for an emergency like this one.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WIRE: Ten-second trivia.
What is believed to be the most expensive object ever built? Shanghai Tower, International Space Station, Notre Dame Cathedral, Hong Kong
International Airport.
At a total cost of more than 100 billion bucks, the ISS holds the record for most expensive object in history.
After what was supposed to be an eight-day trip, the Boeing Starliner capsule is finally home from the International Space Station. Nearly three
months later, the spacecraft experienced thruster issues when delivering two NASA astronauts, Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, to the space station
in It returned to Earth without them on board.
Now, NASA and Boeing have to start working on the issues that came up during the test flight before the space agency can deem it ready to carry
out routine trips to the ISS.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KRISTIN FISHER, CNN SPACE AND DEFENSE CORRESPONDENT: Boeing breathing a sigh of relief this morning after Starliner successfully landed in White
Sands, New Mexico, shortly after midnight. And all of the issues that Starliner suffered while in space, the thruster failures, the helium leaks,
did not prove to be a problem when it did the deorbit burn, pump the brakes, and reentered the Earth`s atmosphere.
Those were the critical maneuvers that NASA was so worried about if Butch and Suni Williams, Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, Starliner`s crew, had
been on board. And so now, Boeing and NASA are going to be looking at all the data. NASA needs to decide if it`s going to require Boeing to conduct
another crewed flight test before it`s fully certified to ferry NASA astronauts to and from the International Space Station.
As for Butch and Suni, they`re going to be up there until February of 2025 before they hitch a ride back on a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule. That`s
essentially the backup here. But NASA Administrator Bill Nelson says that`s what this program is all about.
The Commercial Crew Program. It`s about having a backup system. Redundancy. If one spacecraft fails, there`s another spacecraft run by a different
company that can bring these astronauts home. So, this is what the commercial crew program was designed for. I just don`t think anybody
thought that this backup system would be tested quite as early as it was needed.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WIRE: Today`s story getting a 10 out of 10 Home Suite 3D printed home. This house was built by a 3D printer in less than a week. The builders had a
grand floor plan to turn a three-inch model into a 1,500 square foot crib that has three bedrooms and two bathrooms.
Talk about a model home. It uses a special kind of concrete made for the printing process, which makes the house tornado and fire resistant. Now
that is raising the roof of expectations.
Our shout out today goes to Pretty Prairie High School in Pretty Prairie, Kansas. Home of the Bulldogs, we see you.
Fun fact, I was today years old when I learned Kansas is the sunflower state. Great climate for growing and harvesting them and utilizing the
seeds and oils.
All right, I got to bolt, but I`ll leave you with a quote from Mary Shelley, the early 1800s novelist who wrote Frankenstein. "The beginning is
always today."
Make it an awesome one y`all and we`ll do it again tomorrow, right here on CNN 10.
END
