Monday, August 5, 2013

Had removal of parathyroid adenoma at GW Hospital by Dr. Stanley Knoll. Went very well and was back at work 2 days later. Very little pain. Aug. 6 – 8, 2013 - Papers came out in Science, Nature, BMJ, etc. that generated major press interest. First was Bob Seder’s and Steve Hoffman’s malaria vaccine paper in Science; another was a report in BMJ of human-to-human transmission of one case of H7N9 from father (60 y.o.) to daughter (32 y.o.); finally, Fouchier and Kawaoka wrote a statement in Science/Nature giving their reasons why they want to go ahead with gain-offunction (GOF) research on H7N9 and other influenzas. They respect the concerns of HHS and say they will recognize restrictions. HHS wrote a letter to Science stating the HHS position that GOF function experiments with H7N9 that increase transmissibility by respiratory route in mammals will go to additional level of review at the HHS level (Framework Approach – see above). For the latter, I was quoted liberally by AP in page A3 of the Washington Post on Aug. 8. Also, regarding the daughter transmission, I was on WTOP on Aug. 7 and appeared on CNN Wolf Blitzer Situation Room on Aug. 7. Also, on August 8, Al Jazeera, China News Service, was on NPR All Things Considered for the malaria vaccine as well as BBC and on Aug. 9, NPR Science Friday. Regarding the statement by Fouchier and Kawaoka, this generated the usual push-back from the people who feel that these experiments should not be done – Mike Osterholm, Ebright, Adel Mahmoud, Mike Imperiale, etc. My quote was measured and emphatic in the Post that said that added level of review was necessary.