UPDATE ON THE SITUATION.
LET'S LISTEN IN.
>> HAVE TAKEN ALL PRECAUTIONS AT THIS POINT TO ENSURE THAT THE INDIVIDUAL RECEIVES THE APPROPRIATE TREATMENT AND WE'RE ABLE TO GET THE MESSAGE ACROSS TO OUR COMMUNITY.
>> DO WE KNOW WHAT HE WAS IN TOWN FOR?
OBVIOUSLY, WRESTLEMANIA WAS A BIG EVENT DRAWING A LOT OF EUROPEAN TRAVELLERS.
WAS HE IN TOWN FOR THAT EVENT AND DID HE MAKE IT TO THAT EVENT?
>> WE KNOW THAT THE INDIVIDUAL CAME FOR A PUBLIC EVENT.
HE, HOWEVER, WAS NOT ABLE TO PARTAKE IN ALL THE ACTIVITIES AS HE WAS HOSPITALIZED OVER THE WEEKEND SO THERE WERE SOME PUBLIC EVENTS HE HAS GATHERED.
WE ARE TRACKING ALL OF THOSE IN TERMS OF THE TAXI RIDES, THE RESTAURANTS HE MAY HAVE VISITED.
WE DO KNOW WHERE HE'S BEEN STAYING OVER THE PAST COUPLE OF NIGHTS RIGHT BEFORE HE WENT INTO THE HOSPITAL SO WE'RE IN TOUCH WITH THOSE HOTELS.
AND ALERTING THE APPROPRIATE AUTHORITIES IN EACH CASE.
BUT THAT'S EXACTLY PART OF OUR RESPONSIBILITIES IN THE OFFICE OF PUBLIC HEALTH.
AS WEA'VE GONE INTO THE HOSPITAL INTERVIEWED A PATIENT, ASKING QUESTIONS WHERE THEY'VE BEEN, WHO THEY'VE COME INTO CONTACT WITH AND IN ANY SORT OF PUBLIC EVENT WHERE THEY MAY HAVE BEEN
SEATED TO IDENTIFY WHERE THOSE INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE AT POTENTIAL RISK MAY HAVE BEEN CROSSING PATHS WITH THIS PERSON.
>> ARE YOU ALL GOING TO RELEASE, I GUESS, WHEN YOU BACK TRACK HIS STEPS HERE, JUST BECAUSE OBVIOUSLY, IT WAS GOING TO BE GREAT PUBLIC INTEREST INTO WHAT HOTEL HE'S STAYING AT, WHAT
RESTAURANTS HE MAY HAVE GONE TO, AND WHAT PRECAUTIONS PEOPLE THERE MAY NEED TO TAKE?
>> YOU KNOW, I THINK ALL OF THAT INFORMATION IS COMING IN VERY RAPIDLY.
WE CERTAINLY WANT TO PROVIDE ALL THE INFORMATION THAT WE CAN AT THE APPROPRIATE TIME.
WE WANT TO LET THE APPROPRIATE PARTNERS, YOU KNOW, IF WE TALK ABOUT A RESTAURANT, WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THE RESTAURANT OWNER KNOWS, AND WE'RE GOING TO MENTION THAT RESTAURANT'S NAME,
ENSURE THE WORKERS, PEOPLE AT HIGHEST RISK, THAT MAY BE WASHING THE DISHES OR HOTEL EMPLOYEES, ALERT THE PUBLIC.
YES, WE'LL MAKE SURE WE DO ALL WE CAN BUT IT WILL BE IN A STEP-WISE FASHION.
AT THIS POINT, AGAIN, THE INDIVIDUAL IS IN A HOSPITAL.
HE WAS FEELING ILL THROUGH MOST OF HIS TIME FROM WHEN HE LANDED UNTIL WHEN HE WENT INTO THE HOSPITAL SO IN THE SENSE THAT HE HAS NOT BEEN OUT THERE EXPOSING AS MANY INDIVIDUALS AS HE COULD
HAVE BEEN, IS A STEP CERTAINLY THE PUBLIC HEALTH IS TAKING INTO CONSIDERATION.
WE WILL SHARE ALL THAT WE CAN AT THE APPROPRIATE TIME.
>> OBVIOUSLY, IF HE CAME INTO OUR AIRPORT, IS THERE CONCERN ABOUT PEOPLE WHO MAY HAVE COME IN CONTACT WITH HIM WHO HAVE NOW LEFT?
>> YOU KNOW, MEASLES IS A HIGHLY CONTAGIOUS ILLNESS.
WE REALIZE IF YOU'RE UNVACCINATED, YOU CAN BE AT RISK OF GETTING THE ILLNESS.
THE NICE NEWS IS THAT HERE IN THE U.S. WE ERADICATED MEASLES IN 2000.
IN LOUISIANA, OUR CHILDREN GET VACCINATED BETWEEN 12-15 MONTHS OF AGE AND A SECOND SHOT IS RECEIVED BEFORE GOING TO SCHOOL SO, GENERALLY, THE PUBLIC IS IMMUNIZED.
THIS INDIVIDUAL WAS NOT.
SO THEY CAME DOWN WITH THE ILLNESS BECAUSE THEY WERE NOT IMUNIZED, SO THAT'S THE THING TO KEEP IN MIND IS THAT NOT EVERYBODY WHO CROSSED PATHS WITH THIS INDIVIDUAL OR EATS AT THE
SAME RESTAURANT OR EVEN SITS VERY CLOSE TO THEM WILL GET MEASLES.
THE PEOPLE WHO ARE AT RISK ARE THOSE INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE NOT VACCINATED AGAINST THE MEASLES VIRUS.
SO FOR THOSE INDIVIDUALS, THE DELGADO CITY HEALTH DEPARTMENT, THE STATE HEALTH DEPARTMENT WE WORK IN COLLABORATION WITH THE CITY TO RUN, IS OFFERING VACCINES TO PEOPLE WHO NEED
THEM, 8 TO 4 P.M., WE'LL PROVIDE PHONE NUMBERS FOR INDIVIDUALS TO CALL IF THEY CAN'T SEE THEIR PRIMARY CARE PROVIDERS.
THE BEST THING TO DO IS BECOME UP TO DIET ON THEIR VACCINATIONS.
IT DEPENDS ON HOW MUCH TIME DID THEY SPEND, WERE THEY SITTING IN AN ENCLOSED AREA, WERE THEY TALKING, COUGHING, SNEEZING?
IT'S GOING TO BE IMPOSSIBLE TO BACK TRACK EVERY SINGLE STEP BUT WE'RE GOING TO TRY TO IDENTIFY ALL THE KEY AREAS AND WORK WITH OUR INFECTIOUS DISEASE DEPARTMENT TO CONTACT THE
APPROPRIATE STAKEHOLDERS AND GIVE THEM THE APPROPRIATE INFORMATION.
I THINK WHAT'S IMPORTANT TO REALIZE IS BECAUSE WE CAN'T TOUCH EVERY SINGLE PERSON IS THROUGH THE NEWS NETWORKS HERE, SIMPLY ALERT THE PUBLIC OF THIS POSSIBILITY.
THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT HAS ALREADY SENT A HEALTH ALERT NETWORK TO ALL THE HOSPITALS AND THE E.R. IS ALERTING THEM OF THIS CASE SO SHOULD ANYONE IS DEVELOPING SYMPTOMS, ONE TO TWO
WEEKS AFTER EXPOSURES, OUR HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS WILL BE ALERT AND ABLE TO RESPOND AS NEEDED.
>> COULD WE GET YOUR THOUGHTS TOO, DOCTOR.
OBVIOUSLY, THE STATE'S POSITION IS JUST WHAT IT WAS.
FROM A CITY LIKE NEW ORLEANS WHO HAD TENS OF THOUSANDS OF VISITORS IN TOWN FOR AN EVENT LIKE WRESTLE MANIA, IS IT IMPORTANT OR CONCERNING TO BACK TRACK LIKE THE DOCTOR JUST SAID
BECAUSE OF ALL THE PEOPLE HERE OVER THE WEEKEND?
>> ABSOLUTELY.
WE HAVE VISITORS HERE ALL THE TIME AND WE SEE THESE THINGS ACTUALLY NOT INFREQUENTLY.
WE APPRECIATE THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND DR.
JUBERI TAKING THE LEAD ON THIS INVESTIGATION AND THE NEW ORLEANS HEALTH DEPARTMENT IS SUPPORTING IN THOSE EFFORTS.
LET'S TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT MEASLES IN GENERAL HERE.
AS THE DOCTOR MENTIONED, WE CONSIDERED MEASLES WAS ELIMINATED FROM THE UNITED STATES IN 2000.
BY "ELIMINATED", WE MEAN NOT CONTINUOUSLY SPREAD.
ALTHOUGH, ON OCCASION, A TRAVELER FROM ANOTHER COUNTRY OR, YOU KNOW, U.S. CITIZEN GOING ABROAD AND COMING BACK.
AS LONG AS THERE'S A DECENT MASS OF PEOPLE WHO HAVE THE VACCINE, IT ENDS RIGHT THERE.
ON SMALL OCCASIONS, AS WE SAID IN CALIFORNIA A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO, IF THERE'S A COMMUNITY THAT HAS NOT VACCINATED THEIR CHILDREN, THEY CAN SPREAD A LITTLE FARTHER AND WE CERTAINLY
DON'T WANT THAT TO HAPPEN HERE AND LOUISIANA, ABOUT 95% OF OUR CHILDREN HAVE THE MEASLES VACCINE, AND THAT'S REALLY GOOD NEWS.
EVERYONE SHOULD GET THE MEASLES VACCINE.
WHAT HAPPENED THIS WEEKEND SHOULD SERVE AS A REMINDER TO FOLKS THAT THE MEASLES VACCINE IS A REALLY IMPORTANT THING TO DO TO KEEP PEOPLE HEALTHY.
WE FORGET HOW SERIOUS MEASLES CAN BE BUT PRIOR TO THE VACCINE, IT'S QUITE SERIOUS B 1 IN 4 PEOPLE THAT CONTRACTED MEASLES GOT HOSPITALIZED AND SOMEWHERE IN THE VICINITY OF 1 IN 1,000
PEOPLE HAD VERY SERIOUS COMPLICATIONS LEADING AND UP TO DEATH.
WE NEVER WANT TO SEE THOSE TYPES OF THINGS AGAIN.
PEOPLE SHOULD KNOW IF THEY HAVE NOT YET BEEN VACCINATED, THE TIME TO DO THAT IS RIGHT NOW.
DON'T WASTE ANY MORE OF YOUR TIME, AND PUBLIC FIGURES WHO SUGGEST THAT THE VACCINE IS DANGEROUS OR HAS CRAZY SIDE EFFECTS, THEY ARE WRONG, AND THAT ADVICE IS ILL-INFORMED AND
DANGEROUS.
>> SO IT'S IMPORTANT TO POINT OUT TO ANYONE WATCHING THIS AT HOME, IF YOU ARE UP-TO-DATE ON YOUR VACCINES, IF YOUR CHILDREN ARE UP-TO-DATE ON VACCINES, YOU REALLY DON'T HAVE MUCH TO WORRY
ABOUT?
>> THAT IS ABSOLUTELY RIGHT.
IF YOU'RE UP-TO-DATE ON VACCINES, YOU HAVE VERY LITTLE TO WORRY ABOUT.
IF YOU HAVE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS OR CONCERNS, I WOULD ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO TALK IT OUT WITH THEIR PHYSICIANS.
>> CAN YOU TELL US HOW THE PATIENT IS DOING?
>> FROM WHAT WE UNDERSTAND, THE PATIENT IS UNDER TREATMENT AND RECOVERING.
THE PERSON IS ABLE TO TALK AND ABLE TO SHARE THE NECESSARY INFORMATION.
I THINK THE HOSPITAL HAS JUST TAKEN ALL APPROPRIATE MEASURES TO ENSURE APPROPRIATE ISOLATION IS PERFORMED, SO INDIVIDUALS ARE NOT IN DIRECT CONTACT WITH THE INDIVIDUAL AND FURTHER,
INDIVIDUALS IN THE HOSPITAL ARE NOT EXPOSED BUT MY LAST REPORT IS THAT THE INDIVIDUAL IS GOING THROUGH THE USUAL CYCLES OF A VIRAL ILLNESS, EXPERIENCING VERY HIGH FEVERS, SOME DISCOMFORT,
BUT GOING THROUGH THE COURSE OF RECOVERY.
>> AND IS EXPECTED TO BE OKAY?
>> WE BELIEVE HE SHOULD BE OKAY.
>> THANKS, DOCTOR.
THANK YOU.
>> I'LL ADD WHILE DR. JUBERI AND HIS TEAM AT THE STATE ARE REACHING OUT TO POTENTIAL CONTACTS, THE CITY OF NEW ORLEANS HEALTH DEPARTMENT WILL BE STANDING UP A GENERAL CALL
CENTER ABOUT GENERAL QUESTIONS ABOUT THE MEASLES OR THE VACCINES.
IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS AT ALL OR WANT TO LEARN MORE OR TALK ABOUT THE