Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Had lunch at the Oval Room across from Lafayette Park with Michael Gerson (Washington Post, Council of Foreign relations) to catch up on some of the projects that I am involved in re; Global Health issues. Mike was very influential in helping me during the Bush 43 years with PEPFAR and the President’s Malaria Initiative. I told him about my pushing for PrEP, Test and Treat, and Eradication of HIV (my new “Big Three” for control of HIV). Nice time at lunch. He is a very, very sharp guy and we have become good friends over the years – recall he invited me to private dinner with George and Laura Bush at his home last year. I had turkey Club; Mike had asparagus soup. Whether was sunny with threatening rain. April 23-24, 2009 – First days of public awareness of the “swine flu” pandemic with the “quadruple reassortant H1N1 influenza A. Around the clock conference calls and meetings. In “battle mode” at HHS. I am handling everything for NIH, but there is something strange regarding relationship with HHS (see below re: Jenny Backus.) April 25-27, 2009 – Intense weekend with the potential pandemic evolving. Started in Mexico and now person-to-person spread evolving in USA. At first only in TX and CA and now beginning to spread throughout USA in small numbers that are growing. Unclear why disease seems to be more severe in Mexico than in USA. Likely due to larger undetected denominator in Mexico for some time and we are only seeing the severe cases, whereas in USA with better surveillance, we see more mild cases. Also spreading to Europe with several countries reporting cases, almost all related to trips to Mexico or contact with people with Mexico exposure.