A single line often inverts meaning once you see what it
answers, so neighbouring messages are always shown.
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Sept. 27, 2014 - Did FOX News and CNN today (Saturday) on regular Ebola issues. Also, much press coming in since the press release went out today on the patient arriving from Sierra Leone. In this regard, I did CBS Radio News; NPR background; WUSA - Channel 9 TV; various print outlets. Likely much more tomorrow.
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Sept. 28, 2014 - Patient arrived this afternoon (~3:00 PM) from Sierra Leone. State Department arranged his transportation. He was given the VSV vaccine as a postexposure prophylaxis, which neither Cliff nor I would necessarily have done since it induces a fever and can complicate matters. Indeed, he developed a fever 24 hours after receiving the VSV vaccine. The Patient, Dr. Lewis Rubinson, is admitted to the Special Studies Unit of the Clinical Center on the 5th Floor. Very little of the circus that we saw when Dr. Brantley and Nancy Rightbol were admitted to Emory, i.e. no helicopters or TV trucks. I did do a few interviews (some pre-scheduled even before the patient was known to come to NIH. Did interviews for: MSNBC, NBC Network, NPR Radio; Fox5 TV, CBS Radio
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Sept. 29, 2014 - No evidence of infection in the patient. Much press today: CNN; Weather Channel TV; USA Today TV and ONLINE; 1 hour at the WTOP Studio with questions from staff Deborah Feinstein and Bruce Alan; CBS Radio; FOX5 TV; CBS TV; AP TV; Channel 8 News TV
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Sept. 30, 2014 - Word from the WHO meeting in Geneva is that people are starting to come around to our (Cliff, me, Lu Borio) idea about the necessity of conducting an RCT rather than open access for the Ebola vaccine. A story about me with picture appeared in USA today with my saying that it is critical to greatly accelerate our efforts or else the Ebola epidemic will evolve into the "worst case scenario" of the CDC prediction of 1.4 million cases by early 2015.
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2014-10-01 00:00
Anthony S. Fauci
Oct. 1, 2014 - Big news! A patient from Liberia got on a plane on Sept. 19, arrived in USA (Texas) on Sept. 20 without sxs. On Sept. 24 developed sxs; on Sept. 26 went to an ER in Dallas and was given Z-pack and sent home; on Sept. 28 taken to Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital (Dallas) in critical condition. Ebola dx confirmed. This is first patient to come to USA with Ebola who did not know he/she had Ebola. Soemthing that I have been predicting all along. On conference call with Secretary Burwell, I indicated that after Tom Frieden's press conference at 5:30 PM yesterday (Sept. 30) there were many requests from the press. On the phone a CDC person said that this is Tom's responsibility. Burwell snapped at the person saying that we need Tony out there and this is no time to be arguing about "people's lanes". Finally, someone put an end to that bullshit. Thanks, Sylvia! Sylvia asked me on the phone to cancel my planned trip for today to San Francisco to partake in a Gala to celebrate UCSF's Global Health program. Also, I was going to see Ali. I, of course, obliged and Sylvia said that she wanted me to take the lead in "Calming the Country" that will certainly panic about this. She asked me to lead a teleconference last night at 9:00 PM with HHS to discuss the clinical aspects of what this means. And so there is much press today: Bloomberg News TV by phone; AP Radio; CNN New Day; FOX News TV; NPR Here and Now; multiple print media and blogs → AFP; New York Daily News; Washington Post., BuzzFeed; Wall Street Journal; Also, Doctor radio with Marc Siegel; Time Magazine; The Guardian; The Huffington Post; CNN International (I was cut off by satellite issue); Bloomberg TV; CNN "The Lead" with Jake Tapper; WBZ/CBS Radio Boston; MSNBC Hardball with Chris Matthews; NBC Nightly News; FOX with Lou Dobbs; CNN Anderson Cooper 360; WUSA Channel 9. As it turns out, and this was discussed at length on my TV interviews, on the Sept. 26 visit of to the ER, a nurse took a travel history and explicitly said that he told the nurse that he had just arrived from Liberia. The nurse wrote this down, but the clinical team either did not see it or ignored it. It is being played up on TV as a major mis-step on the part of the local health system. I continue to "calm the country" by stressing that contact tracing with appropriate isolation if a contact develops sxs will prevent an outbreak from occurring.
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Oct. 2, 2014 - Media frenzy continues. The Texas patient continues to dominate the news. The media is really pouncing on the Texas hospital for dropping the ball in sending the patient home with Z-Pack even though the patient explicitly told the nurse that he had just arrived from Liberia and had sxs of Ebola. Also, the system is being criticized because they are unable to remove the waste from the hospital (license and contract issues) as well as from the room where slept with his girlfriend and her children. Amazingly, the girlfriend and children are being legally quarantined (armed guard at door) in the room with the soiled sheets and towels still in the room unable to be removed. Texas is being blasted by the media. I am trying to add some rationale calm to the dialogue. Today's media: MSNBC with "Morning Joe"; CNN "New Day"; MSNBC - Jose DiazBelart; LBC (UK) radio; Hearst TV; MSNBC Reid report; Reuters TV; Fox News; BBC Radio; BBC World News with Katty Kay; CNN Wolf Blitzer; Canadian TV; MSNBC with Rachel Maddow Rachel Maddow was wonderful on the interview. After I signed off, she told the audience how honored she was that I went on her show and what an amazing person I was.
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Oct. 3, 2014 - Had very interesting day today. Sylvia Burwell and Leslie Dach asked me to join Sylvia at a Press Conference at the White House Press Room at 4:30 PM to calm the country's increasing fear and anxiety around Ebola , particularly related to the mess-ups in Texas (see above). I was on the podium with Sylvia Matthews, Raj Shah, Lisa Monaco (Director, NSC) and Gen David Rodriguez of Africa Command. I received many, many e-mails commending me on my performance as a straight talker while the others were perceived as typical political appointees. I actually thought that Sylvia did a very good job. Lisa was a little double talking. Also, Mike Leavitt (former Secretary of HHS) called me to be briefed on Ebola. Did much press, but had to cancel Wolf Blitzer and Jim Sciutto from CNN because of unexpected conflict with the WH Press Conference. Press included: FOX News; CBS TV; CNN with Sanjay Gupta; Chris Hayes at MSNBC
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Oct. 4, 2014 - Some drama today. A 35 year old man and his 5 yo daughter (Liberian Green card lives in New Jersey) flying from Monrovia on United Airlines to Brussels and then United to Newark. Man throws up on the Brussels - Newark flight. When plane lands CDC person on the ground judges that the person does not have Ebola and recommends that he be taken to hospital for checkup and releases the other passengers. To Tom Frieden's great dismay, the White House (Lisa Monaco) and Sylvia Burwell over-rule CDC decision and have Hazmat remove man and daughter to hospital and call lex Witt; PBS back the released passengers who were already either on the way home or boarding connecting flights in order to get their contact information and pass out forms telling them what to do if they get fever or sxs. Sylvia asked me to be on conference call discussing this with Lisa Monaco, Sec. Jay Johnson of DHS, Leslie Dach, Jennifer Palmieri of White House Comms and NSC Rand Beers and Ned Price. Decision on first call was to find out the clinical judgment of the hospital staff as to whether this person might have Ebola. If they felt there was a risk, they would do Ebola PCR, which would take 2 hours for primary result and up to 72 hours for confirmation. Decided to wait for second call in 2 hours. In between calls I called Tom Frieden to offer to help him out. He was greatly distressed that the WH and Sylvia over-ruled CDC and called the passengers back since the CDC person on the ground felt that the man did not have Ebola. He said he cannot do his job if he is being second-guessed by the Secretary and her team. He even spoke about resigning. I told him that this was ridiculous and that I would try to help him by speaking with Leslie and Sylvia. Also, Sylvia and Sec. Johnson (DHS) want to institute entry screening with questioning and temperaturetaking. There is already exit screening at the West African airports and Tom is against repeating things just to make people feel good. Sylvia and Leslie want my opinion and I will speak with Leslie tonight about this. On the second call at 5:30 PM (beautiful Fall day in DC with clear skies and 70 F), it was disclosed that the Jersey hospital found that the patient had no fever or abnormal labs; felt good; and had had an episode of vertigo. The patient will be released without restrictions and the passengers will be told that all is clear. Tom is beside himself. Also had long conversation with Mike Gerson today briefing him on story he is writing about the complexities of doing a vaccine trial for Ebola - scientific and ethical issues. Press today → NBC Today Show Weekend Edition; MSNBC with Alex Witt; PBS NewsHour Weekend Edition
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Oct. 5, 2014 - It is interesting that with the 24 hour News Cycle has created its own dynamic. Today (Sunday) the national news was totally dominated by Ebola. Now the questions center around whether we should do entry screening as passengers get off the plane from West Africa even though there is exit screening at the west African airports with temperature taking and questionnaires. DHS and some Congressmen want temperature taking at the entry level also, which would only cut the window of vulnerability down by hours that the person is on the plane. Yet, there will be a meeting at the White House today to discuss entry screening. Frieden is against it, but he is going to lose the argument. Leslie Dach and Sylvia asked me yesterday what I thought about it. I told them that it would be for PR reasons only since it really substantively makes no difference. I went on the Sunday Shows today with FOX News with Chris Wallace and face the Nation. Tom Frieden did This Week and Meet the press and State of the Union. Questions were related to Rand Paul and Bobby Jindal saying that we should shut down flights from West Africa. I totally disagreed. Also, there was concern on Rand Paul's part that our 3000 to 4000 troops that we are sending to West Africa will get infected and bring Ebola back to the USA. Ridiculous. I got many congratulatory e-mails from people telling me how well I did on the Sunday Shows. In the evening, I did CNN.