Dr. Anthony Fauci - The History of HIV

Theoretically, if you access all the people who are infected with HIV and put them on therapy to get the viral load below detectable levels, and get those individuals who are at high risk and put them on PREP, you could end the epidemic right now.

But what are the downfalls of this hypothesis?

In today’s episode, we are going to find out the answer to this question, because my guest is no one other than Dr. Anthony Fauci who takes us back to the beginnings of HIV in the United States and also shares with us the newest insights into HIV and AIDS research and attempts to eradicate this virus.

Dr. Anthony Fauci is and has been the Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases in the United States, since 1984. Dr. Fauci oversees an extensive research portfolio of basic and applied research to prevent, diagnose and treat established infectious diseases such as HIV and AIDS, as well as emerging diseases such as Ebola and Zika.

In 1984 he opened his doors to AIDS advocates and built personal relationships with many of them. He traveled across the country to meet with AIDS patients and their physicians, as well as with activist groups and created new channels of access to experimental drugs. Dr. Fauci continues to gain insight into the precise mechanisms of immune disfunction and AIDS. He spearheaded research that led to the development of a series of drugs that have made it possible for HIV Positive patients to live long and active lives, without developing full-blown AIDS.

Dr. Fauci has relentlessly pressed the White House and Congress for an increase in funding for AIDS research and treatments. Within 20 years of taking the reins of the National Institute of Allergies and Infectious Diseases, Dr. Fauci has secured a 1000X increase in the Institute's funding. He was one of the principal architects of the President's Emergency Plans for AIDS Relief, better known as PEPFAR, a program that has saved millions of lives in Africa and throughout the developing world.

Some say that he has probably been as important to HIV and AIDS research, as Newton has been to physics, so listen to Episode 08 of Positively Alive, to learn about the history and evolution of HIV, from the man who was there, right from the beginning.

Questions I ask:

• Could you walk us a little bit through what it was like, at the very beginning, what went through your mind, and how this unknown disease eventually became known as AIDS? (04:27)
• When did PEPFAR see the light? (15:51)
• Is the role of PEPFAR today as relevant as it was in the beginning? (20:43)
• How big of a problem do you think treatment inconsistency may be in the US and then, obviously, resistance to the drugs? (28:50)
• What would you say to an HIV Positive person today, as to how to live with HIV? What is your message to that person? (44:04)

In this episode, you will learn:

• How the response to HIV evolved, under the different US presidents. (11:39)
• Why increasing funding into HIV and AIDS research is going to save more money later. (31:34)
• Why creating a vaccine for HIV is harder than for other viral infections. (33:51)
• About gene editing – its benefits and pitfalls. (37:11)
• The impact of stigma in the US, according to Dr. Fauci. (39:52)

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