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CNN NEWSROOM

Questions on Ebola International Screening; Answering Viewer Questions on Ebola; Clashes in Hong Kong Reaching Tipping Point; Father Waits to Find Out if Son Contracted Ebola; Kidnapped Daughter Rescued in Mexico

Aired October 3, 2014 - 14:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

RANDI KAYE, CNN ANCHOR: Health officials in Dallas aren't the only ones monitoring cases of Ebola. D.C. officials are as well. Howard University Hospital admitted a patient who travelled to Nigeria. Upon returning, the person showed symptoms that could be associated with Ebola. The patient is in stable condition.

But a man in Dallas is in serious condition after contracting Ebola last month. Thomas Duncan is the first person diagnosed with the deadly virus in the United States. Hazmat crews are there at the place where he's been staying. It's his girlfriend's place. She and her family have been quarantined there this week with Duncan's un- sanitized sheets and his clothing still inside.

But when it comes to why there's even a case of Ebola in America, a lot of questions are being raised about the screening process internationally.

Alan Jamison recently returned from one of the countries affected by Ebola. He is a retired doctor. And he joins me by phone from Morristown, Tennessee.

Alan, you treated Ebola patients while in Liberia. What sort of precautions did you take while you were there?

DR. ALAN JAMISON, RETIRED PHYSICIAN (voice-over): While I was in Liberia and treating these patients that were diagnosed or suspected of Ebola, I was in full personal protective equipment, the hazmat suits you see often on TV on the programs.

KAYE: You were on the way back to the United States, what types of checks and balances did you go through to be able to return, knowing that or hoping at least that you weren't bringing the virus back here? Did you fill out a questionnaire, all of that sort of thing that we're hearing that folks do?

JAMISON: At the time I was departing, they did not have the screening process set up to the degree that it is now. And I was prepared for that by having a letter typed and written, and an examination by a qualified physician, stating that I was free of any signs of symptoms of infection. At the airport, the only screening in Monrovia's airport was they took a temperature. (CROSSTALK)

JAMISON: There was no questioning and no forms to be filled out at the airport. Now, this is back in July.

KAYE: And I know that apparently they are taking temperatures now at three different places, three different times. Do you remember how many times yours was taken?

JAMISON: It was just done once.

KAYE: Once?

JAMISON: Just once.

KAYE: Do you think the spread of Ebola in the U.S. is a real concern?

JAMISON: Yes, I believe it should be a concern. And it is being appropriately addressed and prepared for by the Centers of Disease Control.

KAYE: You do believe that we are prepared for it? Because if you look at what's happening in Dallas, it seems like, you know, it's taking days to get inside that apartment and try to get contaminated clothing and linens out of there. Does that sound like preparedness to you?

JAMISON: The Centers for Disease Control promptly had their team onsite when this patient was admitted to the hospital. They were flown in from Atlanta and they had specialist there. The thing that was the problem with getting an organization to go in and clean the apartment is because they did not have anyone in Dallas that would accept the contract because they were inexperienced and they needed to be trained.

KAYE: All right. Alan Jamison, appreciate your time. Thank you.

JAMISON: Thank you.

KAYE: A reminder now for all of you, White House senior officials will hold a briefing in about an hour to discuss the government's response to Ebola. And we'll bring that to you live and hear what they are saying about a response plan.

A lot of questions answered but you still have many, many more, like, why, if Ebola is not airborne, do hazmat crews dress like this? Dr. Sanjay Gupta joining me live next to answer that and many more of your questions. You have a few minutes to tweet your questions using #EbolaQandA.

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KAYE: A lot of you have been Tweeting and Facebooking questions about this deadly virus, wondering if it's possible that Ebola could spread, and we want to answer some of those questions now.

CNN chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, joining me from Atlanta.

Hey there, Sanjay.

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Randi.

KAYE: So a lot of folks want to know what going on, so let's begin with this question. Is Ebola is only spread through direct contact, how did a news cameraman contract it. Referring to the NBC photographer that got infected with Ebola in Liberia.

GUPTA: We don't know how he contracted it yet. He was e-mailing back and forth with Dr. Nancy Snyderman who was the correspondent there as well. They don't know. But it is worth pointing out, Randi, that this cameraman just joined the "NBC News" team on Tuesday, and by Wednesday, started feeling ill. So most likely the exposure, wherever it occurred, occurred before his capacity as a cameraman working in Liberia on other projects. Sometimes you have to back trace and figure out where the exposure occurred. He must have come in contact with someone who had Ebola or who died from Ebola sometime in the last week or so.

KAYE: Here's another really good question. If Ebola isn't spread through the air, why are doctors dressed like astronauts when they encounter patients?

GUPTA: The full protective suit is for a particular reason. These suits are designed to cover your skin. Here's what we know. Ebola even a small amount of it in somebody's body fluid if it gets on your skin or gets in your eyes or in your mouth, nose, anything, it can cause an infection. When you are dealing with patients, people who are sick with Ebola, you have to cover all of your skin. That's the real goal. You see me doing that. I was doing that when I was in West Africa with the Doctors without Borders Ebola camp.

KAYE: Here's another good question. What about infected bodily fluids that went into the Dallas waste treatment system? People want to know if that stuff went through the toilet and into the system.

GUPTA: Right. A couple things. First of all, the bottom line is that's not a risk to the general public. Keep in mind a couple things. Viruses are organisms that live in people's bodies. That's where they want to live. That's where they get nutrition. When they are outside of somebody's body, they may be able to last for a few days but not very long. In water, the virus dies. And water treatment facilities in the United States, as opposed to West Africa, chlorinated and cleaned, things like that, that would deactivate the virus. It's not the most pleasant thing to think about --

KAYE: Yeah.

GUPTA: -- but as far as threats go to the general public, this isn't one of them.

KAYE: All right. A lot of really smart questions coming from our viewers.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta, thanks for answering those.

GUPTA: You got it. Thank you.

KAYE: Before Ebola patient, Thomas Eric Duncan, was placed in a Texas isolation unit, he was a guest in a home in Dallas. And now that family, a mother, son and two other relatives, are shut away, quarantined, while they watch and wait for any symptoms. CNN has an exclusive interview with the father and you won't want to miss it.

Plus, we go live to Hong Kong where police went head to head with protesters. That's next.

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KAYE: Clashes in Hong Kong may be on the verge of a tipping point. Police appear to be trying to block protesters in the downtown area there. Tensions are running very high as you can see there. A lot of frustration and anger as they push through those gates. A short time ago, student leaders called off talks with the government and accused police of allowing the violence to happen. You can see it's pretty tense there from that video. The video showing people in the crowd getting shoved and pushed. Demonstrators want to be able to select candidates for Hong Kong's next election. China's government said it will vet all candidates for Hong Kong's government.

So let me bring in correspondent, Will Ripley, live in Hong Kong for us.

So, Will, explain that. Tell us what's happening on the ground there.

WILL RIPLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Things have certainly calmed within the last 90 minutes since that confrontation between protesters, who, at nearly 3:00 in the morning, are here on the streets. A smaller number than we saw earlier this evening when there were many thousands here. And the entire crowd started screaming in unison when uniformed police officers walked on that pedestrian bridge, a line of them, dozens of them, toward a government building where they forced their way through a barricade that the protesters put up trying to prevent supplies from going into the police.

The Hong Kong government says they were trying to deliver food and water to the officers who are in that government building behind me. But the protesters have been suspicious that, in fact, they are delivering supplies, supplies that could be used against this crowd if, indeed, the city of Hong Kong decides to try to break all of this up.

Nearly a week this has been going on. This is a busy street leading into the central business district on any normal day. For the past seven days, it's been full of these students, causing financial difficulty for a lot of businesses that are closed, gridlock in the city. Government employees couldn't go to work on Friday. And there are many people in Hong Kong who say they are fed up and they are ready for this protest to disperse.

KAYE: How long do you think protesters are willing to hang out there?

RIPLEY: From the people that we're talking to, they are ready to be in this for the long haul. You see tents they set up. They set up a distribution system where they distribute food, medical supplies, water and protective masks and goggles that protesters can wear in the event that police use pepper spray or tear gas, as they did on Sunday, which created a real uproar in this city. Public opinion then really swayed heavily in favor of these students. Many of them young people who say they want real democracy in this city. As days have worn on and the city has suffered, a lot of people have suffered because of the street closures and the businesses that are losing money, it seems as if the Hong Kong government says there's not much time left before something has to give here.

KAYE: Certainly, when you see that scene at 3:00 a.m., no doubt.

Will Ripley, thank you very much.

Coming up, CNN speaks to a father who faces an agonizing wait to learn whether his son has Ebola. The 13 year old is now in quarantine in Texas after coming in contact with the first patient to be diagnosed here in the U.S.

And we are waiting for the president to hold a roundtable discussion in Indiana. He may speak about a variety of topics, including Ebola. We'll bring that to you live.

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KAYE: The Ebola virus is keeping one Texas man from his loved ones. His son is among those quarantined, so the two can't see each other or be in the same room as one another. Yet, the father told CNN he's not angry with the infected man that started all of this.

More now from Gary Tuchman.

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GARY TUCHMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Peterson Wayne on the telephone with his son who is now in quarantine amid this Ebola scare.

PETERSON WAYNE, FATHER OF SON IN EBOLA QUARANTINE: How are you doing? Are you OK? Where is your mommy? Is your mom home too? Is she OK?

TUCHMAN: Peterson Wayne moved to Texas from Liberia in the early '90s. His son's name is Timothy. Timothy's mother, Louise, is in quarantine with their child in this apartment because Ebola victim, Thomas Eric Duncan, was a guest in the apartment until a few days ago.

WAYNE: Timothy is a nice boy. A smart boy. Very respectful. Smart in school. TUCHMAN (voice-over): He's a good kid?

WAYNE: He's a good kid. I love him.

TUCHMAN (voice-over): Peterson has talked with his son several times since he's told he can't leave the apartment.

(on camera): Timothy told you he's in quarantine.

WAYNE: Yes.

TUCHMAN: That he can't leave the house.

WAYNE: He can't leave the house.

TUCHMAN: Because he had contact with the man who has Ebola.

WAYNE: Right.

TUCHMAN: This must be scary for you as his father.

WAYNE: I'm scared.

TUCHMAN (voice-over): Peterson says when he talks to his son on the phone, he doesn't want to let on that he's frightened.

WAYNE: I believe he knows everything, so no need for me to talk about Ebola.

TUCHMAN: You don't want to scare him more?

WAYNE: Exactly. Just to encourage him.

TUCHMAN (voice-over): Timothy is in eighth grade at this middle school. His father says he loves math and sports and although Peterson and Timothy's mother are no longer together, he wants the best for her.

And as far as Thomas Eric Duncan -

(on camera): Are you angry at him?

WAYNE: Not at all. I'm fine.

TUCHMAN: You're not angry that he's with the woman you spent years with but angry that unintentionally he left your son in this situation?

WAYNE: No.

TUCHMAN (voice-over): Peterson says before the shock of this changed their lives, he was about to buy his son new sneakers had been asking for.

(on camera): When Timothy gets out of this house and you see him in person, what would you like to do with him? WAYNE: Give him a big hug and we'll go buy his shoes.

TUCHMAN: Buy the shoes he wants?

WAYNE: Yeah.

(LAUGHTER)

TUCHMAN (voice-over): Peterson says he wants both his son and his son's mom to know he feels they will be just fine.

WAYNE: Before we left, I asked Peterson if I could say hello to Timothy.

(on camera): Good luck to you. And hope to see you at school soon, all right. Your dad anxious to see you. And your dad -- I'm going to tell you a secret. He's going to be buying you sneakers when you get out.

(LAUGHTER)

Sound good? Does that sound good? All right, good.

WAYNE: All right.

TUCHMAN (voice-over): Peterson cannot wait for that to happen.

Gary Tuchman, CNN, Dallas.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAYE: Well, a desperate father spent 12 years searching for his kidnapped little girl. Three days ago, Greg Allen's beloved daughter, Sabrina, was rescued in Mexico. And now the father/daughter reunion is on hold. Sabrina is being treated for emotional trauma. Sabrina was 4 years old when she visited her noncustodial mother for a weekend in Austin, Texas. The FBI says the mother kidnapped Sabrina and took her to Mexico.

This is what Sabrina looks like today.

Greg Allen teared up when he talked about his daughter's 12-year ordeal.

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GREG ALLEN, FATHER OF SABRINA ALLEN: I'm so grateful that she's back in Texas. I haven't gotten to see her yet. My understanding is that she's been subjected to intense parental alienation and we have a long road ahead of us. I'm going to ask her if I can give her a hug. She's in pretty bad shape is my understanding.

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KAYE: Right now, a clinical psychologist is caring for Sabrina.

And Greg Allen is joining me now from Texas.

Greg, certainly an emotional journey you have been enduring. What have you learned about Sabrina's life away from you?

ALLEN: We found them in Mexico City in 2003 with dyed hair, fake names, fake documents. They have spent a life on the run. When we found them weeks ago, Sabrina was not in school. Still with dyed hair and a new fake name. Not allowed to leave the house without an escort. No friends. It's heart-wrenching.

KAYE: Where were you when you found out? And how did you find out she had actually been found this time?

ALLEN: This was a lead that developed through my private investigator, Phillip Klein, and it developed over some time. And when we got serious, we went to the FBI and said, hey, guys, we think we have a real one. They turned it over to the Mexican government. And north and south of the border, officials in law enforcement worked together and we found an exact location and the Mexican government took them into custody and put them on an airplane to Houston.

KAYE: And what do you know just in terms of her living conditions? What were those like?

ALLEN: I don't think they were poor. I think it was in a two-bedroom apartment. I think it was modest. You know, I don't think that she was ever really poorly treated physically and I don't think she was starving. But having to lie and look over your shoulder and not be able to tell people your real name and not know who you are or who your family is, it's a very traumatic situation.

KAYE: I'm sure. You've said also that your daughter has actually been conditioned to hate you. She has been told that you were some sort of abuser. How will you show her who you are?

ALLEN: I'll just show her with love. You know, she has told people, go check all of the records and records just aren't there. That's what she's been told. It's very common in these cases, these children are alienated. And the parent that takes them away really focuses on some hate on the other parent and the other parent's family. She doesn't want to see my sisters or her grandma. We have some work ahead.

KAYE: What's the first thing you'll say to her and do with her and when will that be?

ALLEN: You know, at the press conference a couple days ago, I was very emotional and I -- of course, I am. One thing I learned is I need to keep my wits about me and take the direction of the experts and make sure that I'm focused on her reaction. And I'm going to be strong for her and I'll look her in the eye and tell her that I love her and that I'll be here for her, and welcome home.

KAYE: It's an incredible story. I know you have waited 12 long years. We certainly hope you have that reunion sometime very soon.

Greg Allen, thank you so much for sharing your story.