DOUBLE DIGITS.
IN ADDITION TO CHINA AND THE
U.S. THERE ARE ALSO CONFIRMED
CASES OF THE CORONAVIRUS IN
JAPAN, SOUTH KOREA, THAILAND.
TRAVELERS HEADING TO THE UNITED
STATES ON DIRECT OR CONNECTING
FLIGHTS FROM WUHAN CHINA WHERE
THIS VIRUS BEGAN WILL BE
SCREENED AT JFK AND NEW YORK AS
WELL AS LAX AND SAN FRANCISCO
INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT OUT WEST.
FOR MORE ON ALL OF THIS, WE ARE
NOW JOINED BY A PROFESSOR OF THE
DEPARTMENT OF EPIDEMIOLOGY AT
UCLA, ALSO DIRECTOR OF THEIR
CENTER FOR GLOBAL AND IMMIGRANT
HEALTH.
DOCTOR, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR
JOINING US.
HOW CONCERNED SHOULD WE BE BY
THIS CORONAVIRUS NOW THAT WE
HAVE HAD A CONFIRMED CASE IN THE
UNITED STATES?
>> THAT'S A REALLY GOOD
QUESTION, ASHLEY.
I THINK THERE IS GREAT CAUSE FOR
CONCERN ABOUT THIS VIRUS.
WE HAVE NOW A CASE IN THE UNITED
STATES.
WE KNOW THAT IT'S PASSED FROM
HUMAN TO HUMAN AND THAT CASES
CAN LAND ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD.
ASHLEY: WELL THAT'S A BIG
QUESTION OF COURSE IS HOW DO YOU
STOP THIS?
AT WHAT POINT DOES THE WORLD
HEALTH ORGANIZATION START TO PUT
IN TRAVEL RESTRICTIONS?
IS THERE A NUMBER THAT THEY LOOK
AT?
I MEAN, ONCE IT IS OUT, IT IS
VERY DIFFICULT TO CONTAIN.
>> CORRECT, OUTBREAKS ARE LIKE
WILDFIRES.
YOU NEED TO STOP THEM WHEN THEY
ARE AT THE SPARK, NOT WHEN THEY
BECOME AN INFERNO.
RIGHT NOW THE WORLD HEALTH
ORGANIZATION IS SCHEDULING TO
MEET TO DETERMINE WHETHER OR NOT
THIS IS A PUBLIC HEALTH
EMERGENCY, AND THERE ARE MANY
MANY FACTORS THAT GO INTO THIS
DECISION.
WE'LL FIND OUT MORE IN THE
COMING DAYS.
YOU KNOW, THINGS COULD CHANGE
VERY VERY RAPIDLY.
THIS MORNING WE NOW KNOW THAT
THERE'S A CASE HERE IN THE
UNITED STATES.
SO THERE'S A GREAT DEAL WE STILL
ARE LEARNING, AND THERE ARE MANY
MANY FACTORS THAT WILL GO INTO
THIS DECISION.
ASHLEY: WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS,
DOCTOR?
YOU KNOW, WHAT IS THE FATALITY
RATE TO PUT IT THAT WAY BECAUSE
I UNDERSTAND FROM WHAT I'VE SEEN
FROM CHINA IT CAN BE FATAL.
MAYBE YOU CAN EXPLAIN SOME OF
THAT.
>> WELL, WE DON'T REALLY HAVE
ANSWERS AT THIS POINT.
WE HAVE MANY MORE QUESTIONS THAN
ANSWERS.
RIGHT NOW WE KNOW SIX PEOPLE
HAVE DIED.
THEY ARE AT LEAST 300 PEOPLE
THAT WE KNOW OF THAT ARE
INFECTED BECAUSE WE ARE JUST
BEGINNING TO GET DATA IN HERE,
WE STILL DON'T KNOW THE SCOPE OF
THIS DISEASE.
IT COULD BE MUCH GREATER THAN WE
KNOW.
WE'RE DEPENDING UPON REALLY GOOD
DISEASE SURVEILLANCE.
ASHLEY: IS THERE A TREATMENT FOR
THIS?
IS THERE A CURE SO TO SPEAK?
>> SO THIS DISEASE IS A
CORONAVIRUS.
AND WE SAW THIS WITH SARS, 17 --
17 YEARS AGO AND RIGHT NOW THERE
ARE NO VACCINES AVAILABLE FOR
THIS FAMILY OF CORONAVIRUSES.
MANY ARE BEING TESTED BUT NONE
ARE ACTUALLY AVAILABLE TO BE
USED IN A PUBLIC HEALTH
CAMPAIGN.
ASHLEY: I'M SORRY SO INTERRUPT,
IT SPREADS IF I READ IT
CORRECTLY FROM PERSON-TO-PERSON?
>> CORRECT.
WE NOW KNOW BASED ON THE
INFORMATION THAT WAS SHARED
EARLIER TODAY, THAT THIS VIRUS
CAN SPREAD FROM
PERSON-TO-PERSON.
IN FACT, ONE PERSON INFECTED 14
HEALTHCARE WORKERS IN CHINA.
ASHLEY: YOU KNOW, HOW RELIABLE
ARE THE REPORTED NUMBERS OUT OF
CHINA?
I SAY THAT BECAUSE SOMETIMES
WHEN THIS HAPPENS IN ONE
PARTICULAR COUNTRY, IT'S VERY
HARD TO GET TO THE TRUE SCOPE OF
WHAT THEY ARE FACING.
>> WELL, I THINK THAT CHINA
PROBABLY DOESN'T KNOW AT THIS
POINT.
WE HAVE TO BE ABLE TO UNDERSTAND
THAT RIGHT NOW THEY ARE PUTTING
IN PUBLIC HEALTH MEASURES.
THEY ARE ALERTING HOSPITALS.
WHAT WE DO KNOW THIS IS VERY
DIFFERENT THAN 17 YEARS AGO
DURING THE SARS OUTBREAK WHEN
CHINA DID COVER UP THE FACT THAT
THERE WAS AN OUTBREAK ONGOING
AND ALLOWED THE VIRUS TO SPREAD
OUT OF CONTROL BEFORE PUBLIC
HEALTH OFFICIALS WERE INVITED IN
AND CONTROL MEASURES WERE PUT IN
PLACE.
WE KNOW THAT CHINA IS DOING A
REALLY GOOD JOB RIGHT NOW OF
SENDING MESSAGES TO HEALTHCARE
PROFESSIONALS, TO HOSPITALS.
THEY WANT TO KNOW HOW MANY CASES
THERE ARE, AND THERE ARE REALLY
GOOD TOOLS OUT THERE TO
DETERMINE HOW IT IS SPREADING.
ASHLEY: WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU
GIVE VERY QUICKLY DOCTOR TO
SOMEONE WHO MAYBE HAS A TRIP
PLANNED TO THAT PART OF THE
WORLD?
DOES WEARING A MASK DO ANYTHING
TO PREVENT THE SPREAD?
>> THAT'S AN ACTUAL QUESTION
WHETHER OR NOT A MASK CAN HELP
PREVENT THE SPREAD.
RIGHT NOW WE DON'T KNOW EXACTLY
HOW THIS DISEASE IS SPREAD.
IT IS VERY POSSIBLE THAT IT
COULD BE RESPIRATORY, IN WHICH
CASE A MASK COULD HELP, BUT YOU
HAVE TO KNOW HOW TO PUT THAT
MASK ON AND TO KEEP IT ON AND
NOT TO TOUCH YOUR FACE, NOT TO
TOUCH YOUR EYES.
SO, YOU KNOW, A MASK COULD
POTENTIALLY HELP, AS WE LEARN
MORE ABOUT THIS, BUT I THINK
EVERYBODY HAS TO WEIGH THE RISKS
RIGHT NOW OF, YOU KNOW, IF THEY
WANT TO TRAVEL OR IF THEY DON'T.
AND UNLESS THEY ARE GOING TO A
PLACE WHERE WE KNOW THERE HAVE
BEEN CASES AT THIS POINT, I
THINK THAT, YOU KNOW, THE ADVICE
IS STILL GO AHEAD, TRAVEL WHERE
YOU NEED TO TRAVEL, BUT WATCH
THE NEWS, LISTEN TO THE PUBLIC
HEALTH MESSAGING AND TAKE PUBLIC
HEALTH PRECAUTIONS.
TAKING GOOD INFECTION CONTROL
PRECAUTIONS, WASHING YOUR HANDS,
NOT TOUCHING YOUR FACE ALL THE
TIME, BEING MINDFUL OF PEOPLE
AROUND YOU IS VERY IMPORTANT IN
THIS CASE.
ASHLEY: GREAT ADVICE, DOCTOR.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH, DOCTOR, FOR