Flu Widespread in 41 States; Secretary Clinton Returns to Work; Spokesman: Bush Senior on the Mend; Prince Charles Shares Hopes and Fears
COOPER: Well, flu season is hitting early and hitting hard. Government health officials say the number of people seeking treatment for the flu has spiked over the month. Forty-one states are now reporting widespread cases. Eighteen kids have died so far and keep in mind, the flu typically kills as many as 50,000 people every year in the United States. Our chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta joins me now. I didn't realize it kills that many people. And it certainly seems worse than last years. I know a lot of people have gotten sick. Is it in fact worse than it's been in recent years?</s>DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, looking at this point in time and how the season has transpired so far, it is worse than last year. Last year was considered a relatively mild season. But this is probably as bad as we've seen in about 10 years, Anderson. The question that a lot of people are asking is, is it going to stay bad throughout the entire flu season, or is this just sort of an earlier peak? We're seeing a lot more cases than normal this time of year. Is it going to peak earlier and then go down and just be a normal light flu season? We don't know the answer to that yet.</s>COOPER: And I mean, how does someone know if they have the flu versus a regular cold?</s>GUPTA: Well, you know, it's funny because you and I have both experienced this, I know. But the thing with the flu is the symptoms are going to be more severe, but I think it's more than that. When you think about the sore throat, the headache, the chest tightness, the muscle aches, usually with the flu, it comes on all at once. You may be feeling fine on Tuesday. By Wednesday, everything sort of hits you. That's much more likely to be the flu. Whereas with a cold, you can get any of those symptoms I described. They come and go, some overlap a little bit, but not a big push, and the flu is longer, about seven days on average.</s>COOPER: I'm just remembering what you're referring. I got really sick with the flu in Afghanistan. I think I caught it from you and you claimed I wasn't sick or something. What was that? It was like --</s>GUPTA: That was swine flu.</s>COOPER: Swine flu, that's right. I had swine flu. You're like, no, I think you're fine.</s>GUPTA: It did seem a little out of context. We were in Afghanistan covering the conflict over there and you came to me looking pretty terrible. I didn't think at that point swine flu had made its way to that part of the world.</s>COOPER: Yes, it had.</s>GUPTA: I know, look, if it makes you feel any better, I'm not sure it will. I was right there with you.</s>COOPER: You were worse off than I was. You were smart enough to get an IV drip, as I recall.</s>GUPTA: As you recall.</s>COOPER: What about the flu shot last year for the first time in my life? Do they work because I've hear you can still get a flu even if you get a flu shot?</s>GUPTA: They do work. I do encourage people to get a flu shot. I know there are a lot of people watching out there right that may say, look, it doesn't work. It even made me sick. It doesn't work every time. This year, they're saying about 60 percent effectiveness. It's not 100 percent. But it's better than nothing, and there's something else I want to point out as well. A lot of people say they get the flu shot and that makes them get the flu, a couple things to keep in mind. It takes about two weeks after you get the flu shot to have immunity. It's not going to protect you right away. And the other thing, and this is really interesting, Anderson, when you get a flu shot, you're getting a dead virus so it can't give you the flu, but what it's doing is activating your immune system. That's what it's supposed to do. It's teaching your immune system to recognize that as a problem so when it sees it again it attacks it. When your immune system is ramped up like that, you feel kind of cruddy. It's not that you have the flu. It's that the flu shot is doing its job making your immune system activate.</s>COOPER: I haven't gotten my yet, but I will. Sanjay, appreciate it. Thank you. Good advice. Let's check on some of the other stories we're following right now. Isha is here with a "360 Bulletin" -- Isha.</s>ISHA SESAY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Anderson, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton went back to work today after being sidelined for weeks by a series of health issues including a blood clot. She met with some of her senior staff and got a warm welcome back. She also got gifts, including a football jersey with the number 112 for the number of countries she's visited since taking the job. A spokesman says former President George H.W. Bush is on the mend and watching football, but didn't say when he might go home from a Houston hospital. He was admitted more than a month ago. In an interview with I-TV, Prince Charles got personal, saying he wants to leave the world a better place for his first grandchild, expected later this year. He also talked about what it's like having a son, Prince Harry, deployed in Afghanistan.</s>PRINCE CHARLES, UNITED KINGDOM: If you are a parent or a relation, or someone is away like that in these incredibly dangerous and challenging things, I know you worry all the time. Certainly every night, I worry. And you know, he loves doing what he's doing. He's brilliant at it.</s>SESAY: Surprisingly candid Prince Charles there.</s>COOPER: Very sweet. He's a dad. Isha, I have heard some great news. You have become engaged, correct?</s>SESAY: I am engaged.</s>COOPER: Congratulations. When did this occur?</s>SESAY: I can't believe this is happening, that you're doing this to me. It happened on Saturday night in front of lots of friends.</s>COOPER: How did it happen? No, I'm just kidding. That's great.</s>SESAY: Yes, thank you. Thank you very, very much. We are engaged and getting married in a couple months.</s>COOPER: Wow, that's very exciting.</s>SESAY: Hope to see you on the dance floor, Coop.</s>COOPER: I await the invitation.</s>SESAY: It's on its way to you and the 360 family.</s>COOPER: All right, thanks very much. Still ahead, an unbelievable crime that we want you to know about, you should know about and there's outrage over it, a sexual attack on a bus by multiple men who attacked a woman and her boyfriend, who they lured onto the bus. The woman has died. Five men now stand accused of a brutal attack. They're facing justice behind closed doors. We have someone at the trial. We'll have the latest on the trial ahead.