A single line often inverts meaning once you see what it
answers, so neighbouring messages are always shown.
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Mar. 3, 2003 - Had dinner with Senator Bill Frist in his Majority Leader's Office in the Capitol. He regularly (on Mondays) brings together people with whom he likes to discuss various topics. This time it was bioterrorism. Besides me was Herb Pardes, Mark Halperin (NBC News), Stuart Taylor (Editor, National Journal), Georges Benjamin (Director, American Public Health Assoc), Bill Madia (Oak Ridge), Rev. Anthony Davis (Director, DC Black Church Initiative), Michael Byrne (Dept. of Homeland Security, Coordinator for DC, MD, and VA) and Ginny Wolfe (Counselor to Sen. Frist).
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Mar. 3 - 10, 2003 - Many briefings on Project BioShield. Most recent on Mar. 10 at the White House with the usual cast of people, i.e. Kristen Silverberg, Ken Bernard, Carol Kuntz, Stew Simonson, Tom Reilly (OMB), some people from DHS and OMB.
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Mar. 12, 2003 - Conference call with me connected to about 50 industry people organized by John Kelly of PhRMA to explain BioShield to them. Always a concern about anti-trust laws and so the General Counsel for PhRMA (Ken Ewing) made sure that no questions were asked by industry that would violate this. 2003 March 12 Teleconference on Pr Stewart Simonson told me yesterday that he resigned because of serious clash with Jerry Hauer. I offered him a job at NIAID that he was very moved by. Got a call today that Secretary Thompson insisted that he does not resign. Stew gave in to TGT.
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Mar. 13 - 16, 2003 - We are getting closer to war with Iraq. The French, Germans, and Russians are threatening to block any attempt on the part of the USA to have the UN pass a resolution that if Iraq does not immediately comply with Resolution 1441 and disarm, the UN will use force to disarm them. USA, Britain and Spain may go it alone. I am extremely concerned about the appearance in Asia (Hong Kong, Quangdong Province in China, Vietnam, Thailand, Singapore of a mysterious acute respiratory syndrome. Thus far 400 people, 150 in last week, 9 deaths. We have no idea what it is, but the attack rate nosocomially is very high. More than 30 health workers in Hanoi got infected from a single patient. Many people on respirators. The new disease is called Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). On evening of March 16, had a great dinner at Galileo's in DC. Host was Bono who is in town to receive an award on St. Patrick's day (March 17). Small dinner at which Bono paid very kind tribute to me for putting together the President's Emergency 1g of Iraq begins. Plan for AIDS Relief. At dinner were Chris Grady, Bono, Sens. Leahy, Dodd, Santorum, Steve Case and wife Jean, Comedian Chris Tucker, Josh Bolten and girlfriend (?name), Jamie Drummond, Bobbie Schriver, Cardinal ? from DC, Father Perry and others.
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2003-03-17 00:00
Anthony S. Fauci
Mar. 17, 2003 - Gala St. Patrick's Day dinner and Award Ceremony from The Ireland American League at the National Building Museum. Humanitarian Award to Bono. Chris and I sit at Bono's Table as his guest. Bono recognizes me in his acceptance speech. Pres. Bush gives Saddam Hussein 48 hours to leave Iraq or we will attack.
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Mar. 18, 2003 - Senate passes Project BioShield Bill. I hold meeting on Medical/Chemical Biodefense Research at the Bethesda Hyatt as a sequel to February 26 meeting on Radiological Biodefense. I am trying to frame the landscape of this to pursue an appropriate research agenda.
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Mar. 19, 2003 - Bombing of Iraq begins.
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Mar. 19-28, 2003 - Major focus on war. Push towards Bagdad; massive precision bombing; Iraqi irregulars have executed GIs on El Azeera TV to the horror and anger of USA; SARS is getting out of control. 1500 cases and 53 deaths worldwide. At first, investigators isolated a paramyxovirus (metapneumovirus) at first seen on EM. However, this may have been a mistake since several groups led by CDC are now finding an unusual form of coronavirus (common cold). Briefed the VP on SARS and recent cardiac complication of smallpox vaccine via teleconference. March 27 - Testified with Secretary Thompson on Project BioShield at the House Energy and Commerce Committee. Several members (mostly Democrat) are balking at the mandated appropriations authority. They are reluctant to give up the power of the purse.
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March 28, 2003 - I gave a talk on Bioterrorism at the American Dental Association meeting in DC on March 28. The last person to come to the microphone to ask a question after my talk said that he had waited many years to publicly address me. He related that in 1979, his 7 year old daughter was gravely ill on a respirator with a diffuse autoimmune-like disease that her doctors could not figure out. She was moribund and they were about to give up on her. A doctor said that there was only one doctor in the country that he thought could come up with something and so they called me. Apparently, I spent over an hour on the phone walking through with them a plan for the patient that included plasmapheresis together with cytoxan and prednisone. Within days, his daughter began improving, got off the respirator, spent over a year in rehab, graduated high school, went to Barnard College, graduated first in her class, became a Ph.D. pathologist, got married and had a child. She is entirely well now. He said that he just wanted to thank me publicly for "saving his daughter's life". The audience gave me and him a standing ovation. It was one of the most moving things that I had experienced. the March 29 - April 1, 2003 - It is hitting the fan. SARS is getting out of control. More than 1800 cases and 62 deaths worldwide. 3.6% mortality. Clusters of cases appearing mostly in Hong Kong and China. Now there are 17 countries. USA has 72 cases in 27 states - no deaths yet. It appears that it is spread by respiratory droplets, but also recent evidence that by fine aerosal and objects - not unlike other coronaviruses. I will brief the POTUS this week on SARS. The war in Iraq is raging with troops engaging the Republican guard close to Bagdad. More myocarditis complications with smallpox vaccine. What a week so far!!!