Tuesday, March 24, 2015

Same political issues regarding the potential NIH RCT in Guinea. Kai Kupferschmidt from Nature wanting to do a story about “rivalry among scientists. Like the Peter Duesberg situation decades ago, they are “equating” us with Marie-Paul Kieny of WHO. I cannot say to Kai, but Marie-Paul is an idiot. Had long 3-way conversation over the phone: Kai who just flew in from berlin for the Filovirus Meeting in DC tomorrow is connected from his hotel here in DC; Cliff from his home and me from my home (10:00 PM). We try to explain to Kai that we are not trying to interfere with the “Ring” trial; we just want to get the correct answer for the good of all of West Africa. He keeps pushing that they started off with Guinea and now that Liberia has few/no infections, we want to go to Guinea and “ruin” their study. Nonsense. You can do 2 studies simultaneously in as large a country as Guinea. Besides, ring vaccination is not a study; it is vaccine distribution of an unproven vaccine.