[Randi Kaye, Cnn Anchor:] From CNN world headquarters in Atlanta, this is EARLY START WEEKEND. Forty-seven states,, more than 100 deaths and no end in sight. The latest on the national flu epidemic.
[Unidentified Male:] You really believe this story, Osama bin Laden? Yeah. What part convinced you? Her confidence.
[Kaye:] Washington may be less popular than cockroaches, but, man, can they sell movies. How Hollywood has turned government paper pushes into blockbuster action stars. And, do you have a cat? Well, he's probably trying to kill you. Author Matthew Inman explains the theory behind his very funny best- selling book. It is Sunday, January 13th. Good morning, everyone. I'm Randi Kaye. We start this morning with your health and the flu epidemic that has gripped the nation. The vast majority of the nation reporting widespread flu activity. Information released by individual states shows that more than 100 people have died this season. In New York state, Governor Andrew Cuomo has declared a public health emergency because of the flu. He issued the order yesterday. It gives pharmacists the ability to vaccinate children as young as six months. The state's health commissioner describes the increases in cases New York has seen this year.
[Dr. Nirav Shah, New York State Commissioner Of Health:] As of January 5th, the state health department received reports of over 2,800 patients hospitalized with laboratory confirmed influenza, compared to 1,169 for all of last year.
[Kaye:] Governor Cuomo set out to be an example of why he thinks getting the flu shot is important by getting vaccinated right in front of reporters. And it's not too late for you to get a flu shot. The CDC says this year's flu shot is a good match for the flu strain making its way across the U.S. And that it's up to 62 percent effective. But despite that advice, many don't want to get one. CNN's Lisa Sylvester takes a look at why.
[Dana Weinstein, Mother:] Here we go. JANICA
[Weinstein, Daughter:] More. More.
[D. Weinstein:] More. We have to save some for when you play with your friends.
[Lisa Sylvester, Cnn Correspondent:] It's a good defense against the flu hand sanitizer. But when it came to getting a flu shot for her two-year-old daughter, Dana Weinstein was less certain.
[D. Weinstein:] But I really thought about it and between the odds of her having a bad reaction versus catching the flu, I felt like the flu and having her down and out and possibly risking her health or her life wasn't worth it.
[Sylvester:] Dana ended up getting a flu shot for her daughter, Janica, but others we talk to say no thanks to the flu vaccine.
[Unidentified Male:] Busy with work and just didn't seem to affect me, I don't think.
[Unidentified Female:] I'm not sure I'm confident in its ability to really protect me.
[Sylvester:] There are concerns with the flu shot that lead some not to get one. Many of those reasons, though, are actually baseless. First notion is that the flu shot can actually give you the flu. Dr. Greg Cope is an ER doctor at Sibley Memorial Hospital in Washington.
[Dr. Greg Cope, Sibley Memorial Hospital:] It's a virus that's been broken down into many parts that are inactivated and will not cause the flu.
[Unidentified Female:] Not really. Not this year.
[Sylvester:] Another common complaint is that the flu shot isn't effective. While it is true that scientists who develop the vaccine project which strains of the flu they think will be prevalent in any season, and sometimes they can miss problem strains, on the whole Dr. Cope says the flu vaccine is still worth getting.
[Cope:] I think generally the effectiveness for all ages is approximately 60 percent.
[Sylvester:] One of the most common concerns is that the flu vaccine preservative, thimerosal, a form of mercury, might be linked to autism. The issue has been looked at extensively by the medical community. A 2010 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study concluded, quote, "thimerosal containing immunizations did not increase the risk of any of the ASD autism spectrum disorder outcomes." Even for those with concerns, you can get a flu shot that is thimerosal free. Still, a flu shot is not for certain people says Dr. Cope.
[Cope:] I have nothing but reassurance to give in reference to the vaccination. The people that I think should not be candidates for the vaccine, people who have true allergies to the vaccination and sometimes that's people that have severe egg allergies or the very young, below six months. But it's generally very, very safe. Generally the healthy you are, the more efficient it will be.
[Sylvester:] Another argument is that some people just don't like needles and shots, and that is a valid concern, but they do make the flu mist. A quick skirt up the nose and you're good to go. Lisa Sylvester, CNN, Washington.
[Kaye:] Coming up in our next hour, teaching students about germs and how they spread. One inventive teacher is using glitter to show students how the flu gets around. And adding to flu fears out west is some wicked weather. In Phoenix, a freeze warning is in effect until Tuesday, while overnight temperatures in central California hovered in the low 20s, threatening crops.
[Tom Aguilar, Owner, Mandarin Hill Orchards:] Right now we're probably two weeks from the end of our harvest, so, maybe 15 to 20 percent of the crop would be lost.
[Kaye:] Meanwhile, in Spokane, Washington, no, this is not a parking lot. It's a fresh layer of snow that turned one road to ice and sent nearly 20 cars crashing into each other. In Reno, Nevada, roads are so icy that traffic is backed up for hours and troopers have been responding to dozens of accidents. And look at this whiteout in North Dakota. The department of transportation there is warning drivers to go slowly or just stay inside. The expected high today in Minot, North Dakota, zero. Ousted Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak won a retrial on charges tied to the killing of peaceful demonstrators during the 2011 revolution. A court last June found Mubarak and his interior minister responsible for the murders by government security forces. Both were sentenced to life in prison. The retrial will be based on the same evidence, but this time judges will be allowed to consider Mubarak's health. The 84-year-old recently broke his ribs in a fall. Mubarak's trial drew the world's attention both because he was the first Arab leader to be jailed by his own people, and because he appeared in court lying on a hospital bed and confined to a cage. I'm joined now from Cairo by Sarah Sirgany. Sarah, good morning. It's early afternoon, though, where you are. What is the reaction there?
[Sarah Sirgany, Cnn Correspondent:] So far there is a lot of uncertainty about how the new retrial will have if there will be no evidence submitted to the court or not. Mubarak's lawyer, Farid El Deeb claims that if there is new evidence, it could be accepted by the court. But everyone is wondering about the fact the new facts-finding commission that was settled by President Mohamed Morsi and whether the evidence is connected would be accepted by the court or not.
[Kaye:] And do we have any idea how quickly this retrial might happen?
[Sirgany:] His lawyer estimates that it will it should take place within two months, not before that.
[Kaye:] Egypt certainly has struggled to move toward democracy. Most recently the controversy over the new constitution there. How could a Mubarak retrial, like this, affect the country's political stability?
[Sirgany:] His name almost pops up whenever there's something important happening in the country. Whether he whether his health condition or the course of his trial or now retrial. Definitely creates something different from the controversy regarding the constitution, regarding the new parliamentary elections that are expected this year. And now people are going to have something else to talk about. Depending on how the trial, the new trial will develop, it would affect the current government, whether negatively or positively, because a lot of people have been looking for the Muslim Brotherhood for the for President Mohamed Morsi to take positive action in terms of bringing justice to the victims and to the people that were killed during the course of the uprising 2011.
[Kaye:] Right. Right. Sarah Sirgany in Cairo for us this morning. Thank you. Tomorrow, Lance Armstrong is expected to sit down for an interview with Oprah at his home in Texas and he may finally spill the beans. "USA Today" reports that Armstrong plans to admit to using performance enhancing drugs throughout his cycling career. For years, Armstrong has repeatedly and aggressively denied doping. And then last fall he was stripped of his seven Tour de France titles. And Armstrong distanced himself from his popular cancer charity, Livestrong. His effect on the cancer community has been profound, but now some are questioning if it's a good idea to turn to celebrities to gain support for different causes. And in about 15 minutes from now, we'll talk with John Seng, who worked with Lance Armstrong to inspire cancer survivors. Relatives of computer prodigy Aaron Swartz says they are in shock after learning of his suicide. The 26-year-old hanged himself in his Brooklyn apartment. Swartz helped create the wepi system known as RSS when he was just 14. He also pioneered the free availability of information online. He was facing federal fraud charges related to the theft of millions of academic articles from MIT. He faced 35 years in prison and a million dollar fine. Swartz denied those claims. Hugo Chavez is not in a coma and is, quote, "continuing to make strides in his recovery." That's according to the Venezuelan president's older brother. Adan Chavez says he visited his brother in Havana, where the president went last month for cancer surgery. The elder Chavez says rumor that his family plans to take the president off life support are, quote, "totally false." Hugo Chavez hasn't been seen in public for weeks. On Thursday, he missed his own inauguration. What do cockroaches and Congress have in common? We'll show you next. But it's not all bad news in the nation's capital. Hollywood is giving them something to crow about, even if the accolades are built around a flawed perception.