A single line often inverts meaning once you see what it
answers, so neighbouring messages are always shown.
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Jan. 14, 2013 - HHS turned me down on requests from CNN Wolf Blitzer and Soledad O'Brien. I asked John Burklow to call up Bill Hall and find out what the heck is going on and what the reason for all of this is. John told me that CDC complained to Bill Hall and HHS that I was getting all of the publicity on an issue (influenza "tracking") that they considered was their issue. I do not know who at CDC did this. It could be anyone from Tom Frieden (I doubt this) to more likely Tom Skinner (CDC PR person). In any event, it has nothing to do with my use of the word "epidemic" on Wolf Blitzer Show and everything to do with pure jealousy that I am a "rock star' stealing their thunder. Shame on the CDC. Bill Hall promised John Burklow that as the epidemic stabilizes, I will be allowed to do the big shows and that starting now, I can do anything that has to do with the science and vaccine development. In this regard, see below - tomorrow
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Jan. 15, 2013 - Appeared on the "Situation Room" (CNN) in a piece that featured the quest for a universal flu vaccine. I did the interview from the NIAID Vaccine Research Center. John Mascola also appeared as we showed the CNN crew around the VRC. Very nice piece. Tomorrow I do a 1 hour call in show on WTOP.
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Jan. 16, 2013 - Did a very successful 1 hour show with call-in on WTOP at 10:00 to 11:00 AM. Rainy day in Washington, D.C. Also, local NBC News and WUSA Channel 29 filmed me during the radio show and I gave on camera interview to them after the show.
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Jan. 17-23, 2013 - As expected, due to the beginning of drop-off of influenza cases, even though we are in the middle of the influenza season, the press interest has almost completely dropped off the radar screen. Almost no stories this week on the 2012-2013 influenza outbreak.
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2013-01-23 00:00
Anthony S. Fauci
Jan. 23, 2013 - The "60 day moratorium" on gain-of-function research on respiratory transmission of HPAI H5N1 influenza in mammals has been lifted by the scientists who originally signed to moratorium. The moratorium actually lasted just over one full year. We at HHS and NIH have been developing a framework for making funding decisions for this type of research (see above - Dec. 17, 2013). The framework should be ready for implementation in a few weeks and so we can start making funding decisions. Much press coverage today (I was in NY Times, Wall Street Journal, AP, etc.). The nay-sayers who feel this research should not be done at all (David Relman, John Roberts (Nobel Prize winning ass-hole) or should not be published (Mike Osterholm) are still out there bad-mouthing the decision to lift the moratorium.
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Jan. 25, 2013 - Appeared on CNN "The Situation Room" with Wolf Blitzer to discuss the ongoing breakout of norovirus in the USA. Good interview. There are about 20 million cases of norovirus in the USA each year with 70,000 hospitalizations and ~800 deaths.
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Feb. 14, 2013 - Valentine's Day. Very interesting and enjoyable evening. Chris and I were invited by Wayne and Catherine Reynolds to a dinner in the Adams Room of the Hay Adams Hotel to honor Ehud Barak, Defense Minister and former Prime Minister of Israel. He is in the USA for a meeting with Leon Panetta (Secretary of Defense). Great time. Usual A crowd of DC, which this time included David Petraeus and his wife Holly. Had the chance to speak with Petraeus and mentioned that I often said Hi to him as we passed running on the C & O Canal. He said he recognized me, which was probably just being polite. I thanked him for his years of service to the country. He was very gracious. Obviously, some degree of awkwardness in the crowd given the Paula Broadwell scandal and his wife being there on "Valentine's Day". Also present among many other were Bob Barnett and wife, Ed Markey (soon to run for Senator from Massachusetts) and wife Susan Blumenthal, Rick Atkinson (Pulitzer Prize winner author), Lyric Winik and husband Jay, Ben Carson and wife Candy, Josh Bolten and his new girlfriend (?name), Bill Cohen (former Sec. of Defense) and wife Janet, etc. Barak gave a very insightful speech on the challenges facing Israel in the context of the Arab Spring, Syria, and Iran.
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Feb. 25, 2013 - Still no solution to the impending sequestration deadline of March 1, which will result in across-the-board cuts to Pentagon and discretionary spending (including NIH). The POTUS is doing some severe posturing that this is all the fault of the Republicans and is having all of the Cabinet members out there saying how disastrous the cuts will be. Meanwhile, Bob Woodward points out in an editorial in the Washington Post on Feb. 24 that the POTUS "moved the goal posts" on the GOP by wanting to bring up tax increases even though the original discussions surrounding the budget deal of a few months ago is that the Bush tax cuts were allowed to expire and so taxes are "off the table". Woodward says the POTUS now wants to put them back in play. Looks like sequestration will occur. Sad day in that former Surgeon General C. Everett (Chick) Koop dies at age 96. I had the pleasure of giving the laudatios at his 80th and 90th birthdays. My quotes appeared in many newspapers regarding his amazing life and also on local FOX TV.
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Mar. 1, 2013 - Sequester kicked in and so spending cuts are in effect. Incredible posturing on part of GOP as well as the POTUS who is stating that the "world will come to an end" and the GOP is to blame since they refuse to raise taxes. This is pitiful government. Also, interesting finding being presented at CROI meeting in Atlanta in a couple of days of an infant who was treated (not prophylaxed) with ARVS within 30 hours of birth since his mother who was infected had no anti-natal care and obviously no ARVs. She presented in an ER in Mississippi at labor. The physicians felt that since the risk was so high for the baby that they treated the infant before the tests for HIV came back. They usually take several days to come back. Right choice. The baby was infected and stayed on ARVs for 18 months. Then lost to follow up and mother D/C'd the ARVs for 10 months and reappeared. Only now the baby is well and no evidence of replicating virus (some probably dead residual DNA by PCR. Also, immune response to HIV disappeared (not surprising in the absence of persistent virus). This may be the first real case of a cure, not the "Berlin Patient" whom I always thought was totally non-feasible for scale up and danger. Of note, I have been saying for years that the best bet for a cure was to treat as early as possible to prevent establishment of a large reservoir and to prevent destruction of immune system by persistent viral replication over months to years. The best scenario for this is to treat a child at birth. Perhaps there are other children on therapy who received ARVs relatively early (not necessarily within hours) who are in fact cured and do not know it. Much study to be done.