A single line often inverts meaning once you see what it
answers, so neighbouring messages are always shown.
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July 29, 2009 - Big issue with release of data and paper in lancet showing that pregnant women have significant increased risk of hospitalization and death from flu. I appear on Good Morning America and MSNBC. On the latter, I spared with Arianna Huffington who feels that we should not vaccinate children or pregnant women or even adults. Dr. Nancy Snyderman (of MSNBC) was on program and complimented me and disagreed with Arianna. CDC held press briefing after ACIP recommendations to first vaccinate pregnant women, then caregivers of infants (<6 months old), then HCW, then young people, then non-elderly with underlying conditions. I appear on BBC TV and then on NBC Nightly News with Bob Bazell and Brian Williams. Press stuff starting to heat up. I think that the HHS and Jenny finally realize what I can do with the press. V1. 1 discussing HIN1 sponsored VTEU the HIN1 clinical + Y5
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July 30, 2009 - Appeared on MSNBC today with Dr. Nancy Synderman and a vaccine nihilist named Diane Miller. She was a nerd who said we should not vaccinate anyone with flu vaccines since they do not work and they are dangerous. Nancy and I annihilated her.
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July 31, 2009 - Got called by Mike Gerson who is getting very interested in needle exchange programs and will do a piece on it in The Washington Post.. He called from the mobile unit that goes around DC doing needle exchange. He was very excited in a positive way telling me that he is now converted to a "true believer' in favor of needle exchange. He wanted to know from me what the scientific data are. I told him the story of the Shalala Committee that I was on with Harold Varmus, David Satcher, Alan Leschner, etc. where Donna asked us to do a "meta-analysis"-type look at the literature on needle exchange and ask 2 questions: 1) does needle exchange promote drug abuse and 2) does needle exchange decrease incidence of HIV infection among drug users. We found clearly that it did not promote drug use and did decrease HIV infection. We presented the data to Donna who strongly recommended a federally funded needle exchange program and called the WH to indicate this. To all of our dismay, the WH rejected this for political reasons. Drug Tsar McCaffrey did not want it; neither did prominent black Congressmen like Charlie Rangel (Charlie thought that it might be interpreted as a signal that we had given up on the black community). In any event, Mike was thrilled that the science backed up his impression. As a background, the Congress just recently lifted the ban on federally funded needle exchange, only with the proviso that such programs cannot be implemented within 1000 feet of school, park, recreational facility, etc. This is silly since it blocks out most of the entire city in most places.
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August 1 - 10, 2009 Much press regarding the beginning of the vaccine trials for H1N1. I was on ABC, MSNBC, multiple radio shows, Diane Rehm Show, etc. discussing the H1N1 issues.
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2009-08-05 00:00
Anthony S. Fauci
August 5, 2009 - Mike Gerson wrote an editorial in the Washington Post describing his impression about the importance of needle exchange programs. He quoted his conversations with me. Also, Chris and I had dinner over Mark Dybul's and Jason Claire's home on Wallace Place is NW DC. Josh Bolten was there with his partner Dede and her daughter Rachel. Josh had just spent a couple of months in Africa (The Gambia) with the Maryknoll priests. We reminisced about the White House days and PEPFAR.
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August 6, 2009 - Appeared on Diane Rehm show with Bruce Gellin discussing H1N1
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August 7, 2009 - First patients injected with H1N1 vaccine in NIAID sponsored VTEU clinical trials. Much media attention.
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August 8, 2009 - Appeared on Good Morning America to describe the H1N1 clinical trials.
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August 9 - 24, 2009 - Our clinical trials with the VETUs on the H1N1 vaccine in adults, elderly for dose (15 versus 30 ug) and number of doses (1 vs 2, 21 days apart) began on Aug. 7 just as I had predicted. Clinical trials in children started about 11 days later. We wanted to get some quick and dirty safety data on normal adults before going into children. Will start trials in pregnant women in early-mid September. I pushed hard for trials in pregnant women since they are included in the 5 target groups for HIN1 vaccination in the Fall. We expect first dose data from normal adults in mid-Sept. and second dose data by early to mid-October. This will be just in time since the first major bolus of vaccines will be ready for administration by Oct. 15. Of note, we had expected about 140 to 160 doses by Oct. 15, but the virus is growing slowly pushing back the schedule. Also, one of our suppliers is CSL, which is an Australian company. Since Australia in right now in the middle of their Winter Flu season, they are getting hit hard by HIN] and so the vaccine meant for us is being channeled to the Aussies (appropriately so). Mush press regarding the beginning and progress of the trials. Iam on TV and/or radio and quoted in print media virtually every day. Southern Hemisphere getting hit with many cases and we expect the same in the Fall. Real unknown is whether there will be a greater proportion of serious disease (particularly in the young0 or whether there just will be more cases and so the total number of serious cases will be more without an increase in the proportion. I am on conference call with the Pandemic Flu Task Force (of which I am a member) every day.